TOTA PULCHRA ES MARIA – YOU ARE ALL-BEAUTIFUL, MARY!
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 8, 2016
by Mico Pacheco
September 8, 2016
by Mico Pacheco
Poster by Kenichi Tigas
PUEBLO AMANTE DE MARIA: “A people in love with Mary” – this is how we fondly refer to ourselves as Filipino Catholics. Mary has always been part of the life of the Filipino. Remember the children offering flowers to her during Flores de Mayo? Remember the lolas transferring the image of Our Lady from house to house for the Block Rosary? Remember your elementary and high school Living Rosaries? Mary has been etched to the life and culture of our people. We have fostered a very special devotion to her for in every parish, city, province and island of this country, she is regarded as “our Mother and Queen” even from the time of our forefathers.
But this great love for Mary has raised the ire of those from other faiths. They would always ask us Catholics the same question: “WHY DO YOU WORSHIP MARY?” A typical apologetic Catholic would be enraged by the question and would immediately exclaim: “WE DO NOT WORSHIP HER! WE ARE BUT VENERATING HER!”, to the defense of Mary. But if we ask a typical Catholic the same question in a hedged formulation: “What makes Mary so special?”, what answer would we elicit? I believe that 10/10 would answer: “Because she is God’s Mother and our Mother too – MAMA MARY!”.
We do not worship Mary. She is not a goddess. Even she herself knows that. But why such grandeur display of veneration? Why all these grand processions, devotions, practices and ornamentations on her images? Simple. Mary was not appointed by any man to her esteemed position. God himself chose Mary. Among all creatures, she was chosen to bear in her womb the Christ, the God-incarnate. St. Louis Marie Gringnion de Montfort reiterates: “The Son of God became man for our salvation but only in Mary and through Mary.” Mary was the vessel to which Christ entered into the world. Mary was the instrument to the salvation of man. Mary is the dawn announcing the redemption to be brought by Christ, the perfect day!
Today’s feast, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, links us to two important dogmas of the Church, Mary, as the Immaculate Conception, and Mary as the Theotokos – the Mother of God. Mary was chosen by God to be the Mother of Jesus. As chosen by God himself to become the Mother of the Son of God, wouldn’t Mary be prepared even before conceiving Christ in her womb? Mary’s preparation for becoming the mother of Jesus came not at her birth but at the moment of her conception. The Church teaches us that Mary has been immaculately conceived – the only creature to be conceived without original sin – spotless from any blemish of the soul, the epitome of beauty! God prepared Mary, the vessel of Christ, and protected her from the stain of sin – and this will lead us to another truth of our faith – that Mary is the Mother of Christ, the Mother of our God – Theotokos.
We celebrate this day not because of Mary alone but because of God’s graciousness to us. This day is the birth of the dawn of our salvation – the Birthday of Mary leads us to the Birthday of Jesus, like how she pleaded for the couple at the wedding at Cana, how she appeared to St. James to give him hope in his journey to proclaim the Gospel, as how she gave the Rosary to St. Dominic for strength in the midst of the heresies of the world, as how she saved the faith of the Filipino people during the Battle of La Naval de Manila, she, forever and always, will lead us to Jesus.
The same St. Louis Marie de Montfort says that it is impossible for us to honor Mary greater than Jesus, for whenever we honor Mary, all the honor we give goes to her son Jesus. Let us remember that every time we come to Mary for help, she does not take our problems and solve it according to her own terms – but every time we come to her, Mother Mary points us to Jesus. She brings our problems to him and on our behalf pleads to Jesus.
Why honor Mary? Why the grand processions, devotions, practices and ornamentations on her images? Simple. God chose her. We, the children of God, give her what is due to her. We honor her, the chosen creature of our race, from whom God brought about our Savior, Jesus. The devotion we give, the ornaments we put, the flowers we offer, are done out of mere attribution for as we believe God honored her, and so we honor her too. These are gifts of gratitude to her for saying YES to becoming the Mother of Jesus and with that YES she became our mother too!
O Mary, you are all-beautiful! The stain of sin is not on you!
Pray for us, sinners. Pray for us who call to you as our mother. Lead our restless hearts to Jesus. Whisper to him that it is only in his love that we will find rest. Bring our unworthy hearts close to your Immaculate Heart, and bring these hearts to the Heart of Jesus, which burns of love for us. Intercede for us. Pray for us, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
But this great love for Mary has raised the ire of those from other faiths. They would always ask us Catholics the same question: “WHY DO YOU WORSHIP MARY?” A typical apologetic Catholic would be enraged by the question and would immediately exclaim: “WE DO NOT WORSHIP HER! WE ARE BUT VENERATING HER!”, to the defense of Mary. But if we ask a typical Catholic the same question in a hedged formulation: “What makes Mary so special?”, what answer would we elicit? I believe that 10/10 would answer: “Because she is God’s Mother and our Mother too – MAMA MARY!”.
We do not worship Mary. She is not a goddess. Even she herself knows that. But why such grandeur display of veneration? Why all these grand processions, devotions, practices and ornamentations on her images? Simple. Mary was not appointed by any man to her esteemed position. God himself chose Mary. Among all creatures, she was chosen to bear in her womb the Christ, the God-incarnate. St. Louis Marie Gringnion de Montfort reiterates: “The Son of God became man for our salvation but only in Mary and through Mary.” Mary was the vessel to which Christ entered into the world. Mary was the instrument to the salvation of man. Mary is the dawn announcing the redemption to be brought by Christ, the perfect day!
Today’s feast, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, links us to two important dogmas of the Church, Mary, as the Immaculate Conception, and Mary as the Theotokos – the Mother of God. Mary was chosen by God to be the Mother of Jesus. As chosen by God himself to become the Mother of the Son of God, wouldn’t Mary be prepared even before conceiving Christ in her womb? Mary’s preparation for becoming the mother of Jesus came not at her birth but at the moment of her conception. The Church teaches us that Mary has been immaculately conceived – the only creature to be conceived without original sin – spotless from any blemish of the soul, the epitome of beauty! God prepared Mary, the vessel of Christ, and protected her from the stain of sin – and this will lead us to another truth of our faith – that Mary is the Mother of Christ, the Mother of our God – Theotokos.
We celebrate this day not because of Mary alone but because of God’s graciousness to us. This day is the birth of the dawn of our salvation – the Birthday of Mary leads us to the Birthday of Jesus, like how she pleaded for the couple at the wedding at Cana, how she appeared to St. James to give him hope in his journey to proclaim the Gospel, as how she gave the Rosary to St. Dominic for strength in the midst of the heresies of the world, as how she saved the faith of the Filipino people during the Battle of La Naval de Manila, she, forever and always, will lead us to Jesus.
The same St. Louis Marie de Montfort says that it is impossible for us to honor Mary greater than Jesus, for whenever we honor Mary, all the honor we give goes to her son Jesus. Let us remember that every time we come to Mary for help, she does not take our problems and solve it according to her own terms – but every time we come to her, Mother Mary points us to Jesus. She brings our problems to him and on our behalf pleads to Jesus.
Why honor Mary? Why the grand processions, devotions, practices and ornamentations on her images? Simple. God chose her. We, the children of God, give her what is due to her. We honor her, the chosen creature of our race, from whom God brought about our Savior, Jesus. The devotion we give, the ornaments we put, the flowers we offer, are done out of mere attribution for as we believe God honored her, and so we honor her too. These are gifts of gratitude to her for saying YES to becoming the Mother of Jesus and with that YES she became our mother too!
O Mary, you are all-beautiful! The stain of sin is not on you!
Pray for us, sinners. Pray for us who call to you as our mother. Lead our restless hearts to Jesus. Whisper to him that it is only in his love that we will find rest. Bring our unworthy hearts close to your Immaculate Heart, and bring these hearts to the Heart of Jesus, which burns of love for us. Intercede for us. Pray for us, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Video Editing by Adrian Aquino * Scenes by Mac Norhen Bornales * Song: Ave Maria by Schubert