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<< Saturday, September 8, 2007 >>

Birth of Mary

Micah 5:1-4 or
Romans 8:28-30

Psalm 13

Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

I LOVE YOU, MOM

" 'The virgin shall be with Child and give birth to a Son, and they shall call Him Emmanuel,' a name which means 'God is with us.' " —Matthew 1:23

Today is Mom's birthday. We customarily think of birthdays as celebrations of life. Since life begins at conception however, birthdays do not celebrate life so much as relationship. Although it is possible to begin a relationship with a baby in the womb, we develop a far deeper relationship with the baby once the child comes out into our world where we can see, hold, kiss, and care for him or her.

We celebrate Mary's birthday because we rejoice in the opportunity to have a personal relationship with her as our adopted mother. We celebrate our relationship with Mary because it has fostered so profoundly the ultimate personal relationship, our relationship with Christ. Because we have fallen in love with the Bridegroom, Jesus, we appreciate and honor His mother, Mary.

Mary helps us love Jesus, yield to the Spirit, and "let it be done" to us according to God's word (Lk 1:38). Mary tells us to do whatever Jesus tells us (Jn 2:5). Mary will never rest until we rest in her Son. Our relationship with Mary focuses us on Jesus. Because of this, we value our relationship with her and celebrate her birthday. Happy birthday, Mom!

Prayer: Jesus, on Calvary You gave us Mary to be our mother (Jn 19:26-27). Thank You.

Promise: "We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His decree." —Rm 8:28

Praise: Praise Jesus, Son of Mary, Who gave us His Mother to help bring us His love.

One Bread, One Body