Discover how the Nativity of Mary (September 8) invites us to a new beginning: caring for creation, educating with love, healing relationships, inspired by the spirituality of the Assumption and rooted in liturgy and tradition.
On September 8, the Catholic Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the three birthdays honored in the liturgical calendar — together with those of Jesus (December 25) and John the Baptist (June 24). This day represents the dawn of the plan of salvation, for the birth of Mary prepared the way for the Incarnation of Christ.
The Eastern liturgy proclaims this day as the prelude to universal joy, the breath that announces the coming of salvation. Already celebrated in the East by the 6th century, the feast was introduced into the West in the 7th century. Saint Andrew of Crete called it “the beginning of the festivities,” and theologians such as Saint John Damascene saw it as the day when Eve’s sorrow was transformed into joy.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 489) teaches that “the mission of Mary is inseparably linked with that of her Son; it is the preparation for the coming of Christ and his salvation.” The birth of Mary marks the end of the time of waiting in the Old Testament and the beginning of the era of grace. Saint Augustine described nature, renewed in her, as a lily blooming in the valley.
Mary’s birth is not only a historical moment but a constant invitation to renew life through faith. How can we, as mothers, educators, or caretakers of creation, live this gift as a new beginning?
Caring for creationJust as Mary was born to welcome Him who is the New Creation, we can commit ourselves to caring for our environment: reducing plastic use, planting a garden, teaching our children that the Earth is both a gift and a mission.
EducatingInspired by God’s will and by the spirituality of the Assumption, let us promote among our students an education marked by seriousness and joy: love of study, commitment to justice, responsible freedom, and fullness of being (Assumpta).
Reconciliation and closenessMary teaches us closeness and compassion. Her birth inspires us to approach that sister, friend, or family member from whom we are estranged, with a kind gesture, a phone call, a forgiveness that renews family and community.
The spirituality of the Assumption, inherited from Saint Marie Eugénie, invites us to a joyful detachment: accepting what happens to us with trust in God, transcending what binds us, and living daily life as a manifestation of the Kingdom (Assumpta). In this vision, the educator is a joyful witness of love: one who enlightens, awakens, and accompanies with joy, creating environments where learning becomes shared life (Assumpta).
Although the Gospels do not recount Mary’s birth or the names of her parents, tradition transmits to us Saint Joachim and Saint Anne as her parents and refers to the Protoevangelium of James (2nd century) (Assumpta).
The liturgical celebration of September 8 is placed nine months after the Immaculate Conception (December 8), within a liturgical perspective that unites the mysteries of Mary.
Modern Popes have described this feast as a dawn that prepares the Incarnation of the Savior, the root of our hope.
Today, September 8, let us celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin Mary as a call to live renewed — as a community, as families, and as a generation. May her birth inspire us to care for Creation, to educate with bonds of love and reconciliation, and to embrace the spirituality of the Assumption: where there is detachment, joy blossoms. Mary, root of our joy, leads us to live with a creative faith and a heart singing the Kingdom.
Almudena de la Torre
Communication Team