Friday, September 8, 2023
Feast of di Birth of di Blessed Virgin Mary
“Joseph, son of David, no fear to take Mary your wife enter your house. Na through di Holy Spirit this pikin take dey inside her belle. E go born one son, and you go name am Jesus, because E go save Im people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20–21
Today we dey celebrate one of di birthdays wey don get di greatest effect for di history of di world! Truly, di only birthday wey important pass am na di birthday of our divine Lord Imself. But today, we dey honour Im mother, wey be our mother too.
Dem born di Blessed Virgin Mary enter our world without di stain of original sin. Through di gift of her Immaculate Conception, God preserve her make she no experience human nature wey don fall. So, na she be di first person wey dem born with perfect human nature after di fall, and she continue to experience this grace throughout her life, as she use her free will dey respond to God for every step of di way.
All of us dey enjoy to celebrate our birthdays. Children especially like am, but almost everybody dey look forward to that special day every year when family and friends go honour and celebrate dem for special way. Because of this, we fit dey sure say even our Blessed Mother love her birthday when she dey here for earth, and she still dey enjoy this special celebration for Heaven. Of course, no be because she want make dem pamper her or give her special attention make she dey enjoy her birthday. Maybe pass every other person apart from her divine Son, she rejoice for her birthday because of di deep gratitude wey she get for God inside her soul, for everything wey E do for her life.
Try to think deeply about di heart and soul of our Blessed Mother from di way she herself see dem. Throughout her life, she go don dey closely united with each Person of di Most Holy Trinity. She go don know God wey dey live inside her soul, and wetin God don do for her go don fill her with wonder and reverence. She go don think deeply about these graces with deep humility and special gratitude. She go don see her soul and mission from di way God see dem, as she fully know everything wey E don do for her.
As we dey honour di birthday of our Blessed Mother, na also important opportunity for each of us to think deeply about di wonderful blessings wey God don give each one of us. No, we no dey without di stain of sin as Mother Mary dey. Dem born each of us with original sin, and we don commit sins throughout our lives. But di blessings of grace wey God give each one of us dey very real indeed. We only need to work to get eyes wey fit see these graces. For example, Baptism dey give di soul one change wey go last forever. Even though our sin fit sometimes cover this change make e no clear, di change go last forever. Our souls don change. God don make us new. E dey pour grace into our hearts, and we become children of God. And for di soul wey fit recognise di countless other ways wey God dey give blessings, gratitude na di only response wey fit am.
Today, think deeply about di glorious celebration of di birthday of di Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Start by trying to rejoice for her life as she herself see am. Try to imagine wetin she see as she look inside her own soul wey grace fill. From there, try to rejoice for your own soul too. Thank God for everything wey E don do for you. Work to get eyes wey dey see these countless graces, and allow yourself to rejoice for God’s blessings together with our Blessed Mother.
My Mother wey I love well-well, happy birthday! Today I dey rejoice for di wonderful gift wey God give you for your Immaculate Conception and your birth into our world. I dey pray make I fit honour you as e suppose be today, and especially make I understand more clearly di beauty of your soul wey grace full. Pray for me make I too fit rejoice for di graces wey nobody fit count wey our merciful God don give me. I love you, my dear Mother. Precious Jesus, through di heart of di Blessed Virgin Mary, na You I trust!
Novena wey we dey pray to Our Lady of Sorrows
According to tradition, dem dey pray am September 7–15
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time
Feast for Today – Di Birth of di Blessed Virgin Mary
