September 8 - Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary

SEPTEMBER 8

BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

We do not usually celebrate the birthdays of the saints. Instead we celebrate the day they died, because that is the day they were born into the joys of heaven.
But the birthday of Mary, our Blessed Mother, is an exception. We do celebrate her birthday because she came into this world full of grace and because she was to be the Mother of Jesus.

The birth of Our Lady was like a dawn. When the sky starts to turn a rosy pink early in the morning, we know the sun will soon come up. In the same way, when Mary was born, she brought great happiness to the world. Her birth meant that soon Jesus, the Sun of justice, would appear. Mary was the wonderful human being whose privilege it was to bring the Lord Jesus to all people.

Even today, if we have Mary, we have Jesus. Whoever is very devoted to her is very close to the heart of Jesus.

September 8

St. Nestor

Youthful martyr in Gaza. Tortured during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate, he was in such frightful condition at the time he was taken to the place of execution that the crowd demanded he be allowed to die at the roadside. Nestor died in the home of a Christian.