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The Dawn of Salvation
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into
your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has
been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him
Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew
1:20–21
The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls exactly
nine months after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and is
one of only three liturgical feasts commemorating a birth,
alongside those of Jesus and John the Baptist, highlighting her
unique role in salvation history. Though Scripture is silent on her
birth and early life, early Christian tradition, particularly the
Protoevangelium of James, offers insights and gives us the
names of her parents, Joachim and Anne. The feast likely originated
in the fifth or sixth century and is linked to the dedication of a
church near what was believed to be her birthplace in
Jerusalem.
The Blessed Virgin Mary’s birth is symbolically depicted as the
“dawn of salvation” because she is the pure and holy vessel
prepared to bear the Son of God. Today, as we celebrate her birth,
we also honor her entire life and her perfect holiness, rejoicing
in the wondrous work God accomplished in and through her. She is
the dawn that precedes the rising Sun. In honoring her nativity, we
celebrate the approach of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
The longer version of today’s Gospel presents us with the lengthy
genealogy of Jesus according to Saint Matthew. While at first
glance this may seem only to be a historical list, it teaches us
that God’s plan of salvation unfolds gradually and purposefully
through generations. Each name, each family, each story,
contributes to the coming of the Messiah. The Blessed Virgin Mary
stands at the culmination of this line, as the one chosen before
time to give flesh to the Eternal Word. In her, the promises made
to Abraham and David are fulfilled.
The genealogy includes not only patriarchs and kings, but also some
Gentiles, and others with morally complex stories. In each of them,
we are invited to rejoice that God used the great and the lowly,
the righteous and sinner, all to bring about the Incarnation and
the gift of salvation. This same truth remains in our lives
today.
Though Jesus’ bloodline is traced back to Abraham, with whom God
made His foundational covenant, there is a mystical way in which
His genealogy continues today. Though the Immaculate Conception,
the Birth of Mary, and the Incarnation of the Son of God took place
in a singularly unique way some 2,000 years ago, these glorious
events in salvation history continue in our lives. Like each person
in Jesus’ bloodline, we are called to contribute to His ongoing
presence in this world by being members of His family, sons and
daughters of the Mother of God, and members of His new bloodline of
grace.
One way we do this is by imitating Saint Joseph. As today’s Gospel
continues, we hear the angel’s words to Joseph, assuring him of the
divine origin of Mary’s Child. Joseph’s holy obedience allows the
mystery of the Incarnation to proceed within the sanctity of a
human family. Mary’s maternity, safeguarded by Joseph’s silent
strength, reveals that God’s greatest works unfold in humility and
hiddenness.
Today, in imitation of Mary and Joseph, God also says to us, “Do
not be afraid…” Do not be afraid to be the dawn of salvation today,
for yourself and as instruments of God’s living presence to others.
Do not be afraid to say “Yes” to God’s will, even when it is hidden
in mystery. Do not be afraid to carry Christ within you, to bring
Him to birth in the lives of others, to stand in silent trust when
the world does not understand the ways of grace. God’s light dawns
again today in your own life. Rejoice in that light.
Reflect today on how you are called to carry forward the light of
Christ in this world. Ponder the hidden ways God continues to
unfold His saving plan through your life. Rejoice in the gift of
Mary, the Mother of God and our mother, and seek her prayers so
that you may become more fully a member of the household of faith
and a bearer of divine life to others.
Dearest Mother Mary, we rejoice in your holy birth, the dawn of
our salvation. You are the pure vessel prepared by God to bring
forth the Savior of the world. Intercede for us, your children,
that we may say “Yes” to God’s will as you did and allow His saving
grace to shine through us. May we never be afraid to walk in His
light. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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