Deeper peace

Thursday, September 8, 2016

The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From the collect for the Mass of the day:

Impart for your servants, we pray, o Lord,

the gift of heavenly grace,

that the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin

may bring deeper peace

to those for whom the birth of her Son

was the dawning of salvation.

Notice that this prayer doesn’t mention anything we should do to earn of merit this grace it speaks of. Grace itself is pure and total gift bestowed upon us, worthy or not, imperfect certainly, filled with sin and the memory of sins committed, beset by weaknesses and temptations. According to the prayer, the feast itself is the channel through which this grace flows to us, even if we are unaware of the significance of this day.

Notice also that the word “Nativity” is used for this feast. Nativity is a word we generally associate with the birth of Jesus Christ, so notice how the two events are linked together by the language the Church uses today.

The Orthodox Churches celebrate this feast as the beginning of the Liturgical Year, emphasizing the fact that, as the prayer says, the birth of Mary is actually the very beginning of the story of our salvation. Let it be a new beginning for us as well, for while we were still asleep, God began to put into operation His eternal plan for our salvation with this wonderful birth. And remember also that our tradition teaches us that Mary was born without the stain of Original Sin, that she might be the perfect vessel through which our Savior was to come into the world. Nothing less than perfection would do, and Mary is something that we cannot be, the perfect human being.

All is gift. Miraculous gift. What might that gift be for you today?

The prayer asks for deeper peace. The assumption is that we already possess within ourselves a certain measure of peace, peace that is ours by right of our faith in these heavenly realities and our faith in Mary’s Son Jesus Christ. Take a moment when you can to locate within yourself, or to identify the peace that you already have, even if you are going through a time of trial or suffering. And then realize that today the Church prays that we might be given deeper peace because of this feast.

What might be the deeper peace you are yearning for? If you can identify it, name it in your prayers today. Let the grace of this day, this day of overwhelming grace for the entire human race, touch your heart and soul in the places that are open to receiving a deeper measure of grace and love, hope and faith and peace.

God bless you! Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.