Memory of the Mother of the Lord

Feast of the nativity of Mary.
Today the Franciscan tradition remembers Francis' visit of peace to Damietta (1219) to speak with the sultan Malek-al-Kamel. Prayer so that workers of peace and dialogue may arise.

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 1,1-16.18-23

Roll of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham: Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, Judah fathered Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse; and Jesse fathered King David. David fathered Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah; and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers. Then the deportation to Babylon took place. After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob; and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.' Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means 'God-is-with-us'.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

September 8 is the feast that remembers the dedication of the Basilica of St. Anne in Jerusalem on the site where, according to tradition, lived Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary. In the Byzantine Churches, Mary is spoken of as the "land of heaven," referring to her womb that she offered to the Lord on behalf of all humanity. Jesus' genealogy shows in a synthetic way the wait of the entire humanity for the birth God's Son in Mary's womb. Jesus is within human history; he is part of our generations. The evangelist writes the entirety of the genealogy of "Jesus Christ", meaning Jesus, the Messiah, the Saviour. The text adds that he is the "son of David and son of Abraham." In Jesus the biblical revelation that started with Abraham is fulfilled, but the descendance from David occupies the central place in the genealogy, in order to underline Jesus' royal lineage. In fact, Jesus was born to a Jewish woman, Mary, whom God chose as the mother of his Son. The Gospel then emphasizes that the birth of this child is in an extraordinary event, outside of the normal progression of generations. It is the birth of Jesus from a virgin, Mary. Joseph's reaction, entirely justified from a human point of view, reveals his bewilderment and yet this does not prevent Joseph from listening to the angel and be guided by his words. The angel - the Word of God - reveals Joseph the mystery of which God makes him a part. By welcoming God's plan and accepting it in his life, Joseph was able to enjoy the closeness of the very Son of God to whom, by order of the angel, he gave the name.