Historical Background:
Celebration of the Nativity of Mary

Another of the F.I.A.T. initiatives is to celebrate in a special way the Nativity of Mary on September 8th. Let us continue with Cardinal Suenens' explanation in his Spiritual Journey:

"The Feast of the Nativity of Mary has 2 aspects:

- the first shows us Heaven's view: it enables us to enter into God's plan for the salvation of the world;

- the second shows what happens on earth: it has the freshness of dawn and of a first morning. [beginning of salvation]

Seen from Heaven

"It is a Trinitarian Feast: it is the first moment in the preparation of the Alliance which will unfold between Heaven and earth.

- Mary is the priviledged daughter of the Father who prepares her for Her heavenly destiny.

- She is the future Mother of the Word of God who will make His home in Her.

- It is She who at the Annunciation pronounced the decisive "YES" to the coming of the Holy Spirit.

"We asked an artist, a nun [Sr. Thérèse Michel from the Poor Clare Sisters in Nice]to represent this vision of the Nativity of Mary.



"Here is a brief commentary of the picture that she designed.

"The Trinity dominates the scene:
- The Father, with open hands, gives us the Virgin who will give birth to His Son.

- The Son appears like a radiant morning star.

- The Holy Spirit, the rainbow of the Covenant, the bridge that links Heaven and earth, 'covers Mary with His shadow'.

"The angels and the saints also make one; inconspicuously at the background they adore God and express their thankfulness.

"Saint Joachim and Saint Anne from their side thank God for the child who fills them with joy and seals their love.

"This is the meaning of the picture: it stimulates us to broaden the horizon of our faith and helps us to penetrate its hidden fullness.

"Our Christian vision is often too narrow, too wordly. We do not fully realize that Christianity is a covenant between Heaven and earth which is brought about in Jesus Christ, 'born of the Holy Spirit and Mary'.

Seen from Earth

"How can we, in a concrete way, give more emphasis and warmth to the Feast of the Nativity of Mary which we celebrate on 8th September in our calendars but not sufficiently in our Christian life?

"First and foremost, Christians who are able to should share in the Eucharist which the Church celebrates on the birthday of their heavenly Mother and bring others along with them.

"Let us be penetrated by this prayer that the liturgy puts on our lips on that day:

"Lord, may Your Church, renewed in this holy Eucharist, be filled with joy at the birth of the Virgin Mary, who brought the dawn of hope and salvation to the world."

"At family level, the feast should be prepared and celebrated in the heart of our Christian families.

"The picture of the Nativity of Mary could be placed in the family 'prayer corner'. More and more of our Christian families are making room for a prayer corner in their homes.

"When we celebrate the birth of Mary in this way we transpose to the supernatural plane the feeling of filial gratitude that inspired the creation of Mother's Day which is becoming more and more popular nowadays.

"So, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary is a Feast of hope for the renewal of the Church. It inaugurates the plan of the Holy Trinity for the salvation and happinesss of humanity . . ." (2d, p. 38-44)