“Of Her Was Born Jesus” by Melanie Rigney

“Of Her Was Born Jesus” by Melanie Rigney

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

With delight, I rejoice in the Lord. (Isaiah 61:10) 

Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus, who is called the Christ. (Matthew 17:15-16)

Piety

Brother Jesus, help me to remember not only where I come from, but where I’m going to. 

Study

Where did He come from?

The Gospels of both Luke and Matthew offer the genealogy of Jesus. Both appear to be through Joseph, Mary’s husband, though some believe Luke’s actually refers to Jesus. Jewish teaching is that lineage is traced through one’s father. 

Call me biased, because I am. Today is the 120^th anniversary of my maternal grandmother’s birth. Being the oldest daughter of devout Polish immigrants, you can guess her first name. And I find the stories of where she and they came from as fascinating and as much about who I am as the stories of my Irish immigrant and significantly less devout paternal great-grandfather Patrick Rigney.

I’m Catholic because of the Eucharist. I also like being part of a faith that so reveres who, in my view, is the strongest woman who ever walked the earth. This woman had a bewildering interaction with an angel, who gave birth in a manger, who heard a chilling prediction at her son’s Presentation, who lost him for three days as an adolescent, who nudged him at the wedding at Cana, who saw him crucified, and who saw him resurrected. Do I agree with all of the Church’s views today on women? For me, it doesn’t matter. As a Catholic woman, I have the challenging, inspiring example of the lives of two women named Mary, one of whom I come from genetically and one of whom, spiritually, we can all come from. 

Action

Say a Hail Mary out loud today, or sing “Ave Maria,” even if it’s off-key.

Image Credit:  Free-Photos, https://pixabay.com/photos/virgin-mary-religion-faith-868970/