The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Dear Fathers, Sisters, Brothers and Lay faithful,

Greetings of peace in the name of Jesus and Blessed Virgin Mary!

The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated each year on 8th September. Usually, it is the custom of the Church to celebrate the feast day of a saint on the date of his/her death as this is truly his/her “die natalis”, i.e., the day remembered as his/her birth into everlasting happiness. Mary, however, entered this world sinless through the privilege of the Immaculate Conception and is the firstborn of the redeemed. Her nativity is a cause for great joy as it is considered the “dawn of our salvation” as Pope Paul VI wrote in the document, Marialis Cultus in 1972. Her birth is the beginning of a better world: “Origo mundi melioris.” It is generally believed that the date of September 8 was chosen to celebrate the Nativity of Mary since the civil year began in Constantinople on September 1. Scholars believe that this date was chosen since it was symbolic that the “beginning” of the work of salvation should be commemorated near to the beginning of the new year. This day of the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is also dedicated to the Girl Child by the Church in India, as Blessed Mary, born a girl-child, stands a mode for an ideal woman in the Church and in the society.

God created man and woman equally and especially the place of women in the Scripture is always praiseworthy. The Gospel of Matthew has interpolated women’s names in the genealogy of Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba) and Mary. It’s fair to call Jesus radical for a number of reasons. One of them is his unprecedented respect for women. We also know from the Gospels that many of Jesus’ followers were women. To name a few, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means (Lk 8:1- 3). He loved his mother, Mary, caring for her even while he was dying on the cross (Jn 19:26-27). He showed kindness to the Samaritan woman at the well when even she saw no value in herself (Jn 4:1-42). Worthy of special mention is the mercy of Jesus meeting the misery of the woman caught in adultery (Jn. 8). Jesus rebuked the disciples and defended the woman who poured expensive perfume on his head, honouring her faith and humility (Mark 14:1–11; Luke 7:36-50). When Jesus was arrested, his disciples fled in fear. But women stayed to the end and beyond. It was women who followed Jesus all the way to the cross. Luke, who gives us a detailed account of the crucifixion, records, “A large crowd trailed behind him, including many grief-stricken women” (Lk 23:27). Each of the Gospels records that women were the first to receive the amazing news of Jesus’s resurrection. The role of women, namely Priscilla, Julia, Phoebe, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Euodia and Syntyche is praiseworthy since they laboured for the Lord’s work with undaunted spirit in the evangelising ministry of St Paul.

Pope Francis has advanced the role of women in the Church and in the reform of the Vatican Curia. There have been umpteen number of women appointed at various capacities in the Roman Curia by Pope Francis. One of the recent appointments of Italian Sister Alessandra Smerilli as interim secretary to the Vatican dicastery for human development on 26 August 2021 is one of its kinds. Even the recent amendment to canon 230 which enabling the provision for the inclusion of women in the stable ministry of lector and acolyte shows the pastoral bent of Pope Francis towards the inclusion of women in the ministry.

Though we speak of equality of gender, many a time, we fail to practise it. While most women admire our pastoral style and concern for the poor and marginalized, many cringe when we talk about women because of our tendency to recognize their role in the Church as strawberries on a cake rather than giving them due recognition for their talents and capacities in our pastoral spectrum. Man is man and woman is woman. Obviously, each one is unique. It is their uniqueness that calls for our unconditional respect and attention. Their complementarity makes the human species perfect. Constraints that women face due to gender discrimination should be eradicated. The call for Gender-responsiveness is the need of the hour by way of paying attention to the unique needs of females, valuing their perspectives and respecting their experiences.

The respect for women must start from the beginning of their life as a new born child on the earth. There should not be any discrimination exercised in the selection of the sex at birth, nor in the process of the upbringing of the female children. Both boys and girls are born into the world with image of God and thus it is with an indispensable part of female children that the kingdom of God can be established in the society, and the glory of God be praised. Let this day of the nativity of the Blessed Virgin make us resolute to welcome all the new born girl babies with open arms and provide them all equal possibilities and opportunities to grow as they wish. May our Heavenly Mother be guiding star in our life journey.

With my cordial blessings,

Yours devotedly in Our Lord,

+ Most.Rev. S. Antonysamy
Bishop of Palayamkottai