A WORD FOR TODAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2021

A WORD FOR TODAY

CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS OUR SAVIOUR

_"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly."(Matthew 1:18-19)_

_With delight I rejoice in the Lord. Let me sing of the LORD, “He has been good to me.”_

_*Today we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. And it is with great joy that we must join her to praise God with all our soul for the most gracious gift of her life through which humanity received our saviour.*_

_Many times we take for granted the fact that salvation is a gift and we have done nothing to deserve it. Salvation has come to us through the mercy of God. And a lot of work and planning and sacrifice has been made by God throughout history and even today, to give and preserve our salvation. And it is only right as good people of God to recognise this, celebrate it and thank God for it._

_*In the Gospel of the day, we see a long list of everyone in the line of Jesus through whom we have received our salvation. This list and the story of Mary and Joseph does not just tell us that Jesus is truly man and the long awaited saviour but reveal the active sacrifice and risk the Blessed Virgin had to bear. Therefore we must thank God and celebrate her also because in doing so, we are actually celebrating our God who gave us salvation through His Son born of the Blessed Virgin Mary.*_

_Our blessed Mother was born for a purpose and she said yes to God and fulfilled the purpose of her birth. She gave her heart and will to God and He made use of her in the best possible way. She brought into the world our Saviour who has given us redemption and eternal life through his suffering, death and resurrection._

_*We must learn from her to constantly make sure that we are going in the right path in fulfilling God's plan for us in this life. We must also love our Mother Mary and honour her whom God has honoured and learn from her to be humble and gentle as we carry out our tasks in this life.*_

_Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise; from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God. Let us pray our Rosary today to celebrate her and then make a commitment to God and to her to continue to do God's will everyday._

_*Good morning dearest one. Smile😊 as you do your work and do have a wonderful day. May the peace and joy of our salvation be with you this day and always. Amen. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.*_

*Meditation:* Micah 5:1-5/Ps 13:6-7 (Isaiah 61:10)/Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

*Watch-Word:* Let your heart rejoice in your salvation.

*Join activiely in the birthday celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary today as a sign of gratitude to God for the Saviour who came through her.*

(Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary)