Daily Retreat 09/08/08

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2008 Sep 8 Mon: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary F
Mi 5: 1-4a or Rom 8: 28-30/ Ps 12(13): 6ab. 6c/ Mt 1: 1-16. 18-23

From today’s readings:  “Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, And the rest of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel....  With delight I rejoice in the Lord.....  Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.”

Birthday prayers

Next to Christmas, there is no other birthday so joyful and so important as the nativity of Mary.  It would be inexcusable to ignore our Mother’s birthday!  Since Mary is the perfect model of Christian discipleship, perhaps the religious significance of her birthday can inspire us to celebrate our birthdays in that way as well.

This is what I mean: a birthday, of course, is meant to celebrate the gift of a person’s life.  So, wouldn’t it be rude if the celebrant forgot to thank the Giver of that gift?  So the very best thing to do on your birthday is to celebrate with Jesus in the Eucharist (the word means “thanksgiving”) to give God thanks for the gift of your life (not forgetting, of course, to also thank Him for your parents and your faith).

Sometimes, it can involve quite the extra effort to get to Mass on your birthday, but consider this:  if someone gave you $1000, wouldn’t you take great pains to enthusiastically thank the giver in a timely manner?   Yet the gift of your life is worth more than any fortune, so it only makes sense to go the extra mile to thank God, the greatest and most generous Giver!  Nonetheless, if work or school or illness makes it impossible to go to Mass on your birthday, you can still prayerfully thank God by means of some private devotion and unite your heart to the celebration of the Eucharist (perhaps also getting to Mass on another day of the week).

Birthdays are also an ideal time for reconciliation.  I recall a few occasions in growing up when I was, for whatever reason, at odds with a family member in the days before his or her birthday.  Whether it was my fault or the other person’s fault, birthdays were (and still are!) the ideal occasions to let bygones be bygones, and put differences aside, and focus on the joy of the feast.  So, why not use birthdays to be reconciled with family members (or at least take a step in that direction!), and also celebrate the reconciliation sacramentally by turning to our merciful Father for the peace given by Jesus in His sacrament of confession?

Write these ideas down on your calendar for birthdays in your family (and don’t be afraid to add your own ideas!). That way, you will offer Mary the perfect birthday present today by simply committing to commemorate your own birthday by making her Son the central part of the celebration!