Maria Sanctissima Bambina

Fr. Scott A. Haynes

A MEDITATION ON THE

NATIVITY OF THE VIRGIN MARY

When we celebrate the Virgin Mary’s Nativity annually on September 8th, we behold Mary as the Sanctissima Bambina. Mary was born a baby most holy for a singular purpose. God the Father chose her from all humanity to be the sole vessel of holiness and Tabernacle of His Son and Our Lord. She is the Immaculate Conception, conceived without original sin by God’s design. Because of this, she had the entire use of reason from the moment she was conceived.

Therefore, already in the maternal womb, Our Lady had very elevated thoughts. The womb of St. Anne was for her a kind of temple. There she was already interceding for the human race and had begun to pray – with the highest wisdom that was a gift from God – for the coming of the Messiah.

In reality she was influencing the destiny of mankind as a source of graces. Scripture tells us that the tunic that Our Lord wore was a source of grace that cured those who touched it; this being the case, you can imagine how Our Lady, the Mother of the Savior, was a source of graces for whosoever would approach her, even before she was born. For this reason, we can say that at Mary's Nativity, immense graces began to shine for mankind and the Devil started to be smashed. He perceived that his scepter had been cracked and would never be the same again.

At the time of her birth, the world was laid groveling in the most radical Paganism. Vices prevailed, idolatry dominated everything, abomination had penetrated the Jewish religion itself. The victory of evil and the Devil seemed almost complete. But at a certain moment God in His mercy decreed that Our Lady should be born. This was the equivalent of the beginning of the destruction of the reign of the Devil.

Our Lady was so important that her birthday marks a new era in the Old Covenant. The History of the Old Covenant was a long wait for the coming of the Messiah. After the original sin of our first parents, mankind had to wait 3,000 years, perhaps more, for the Messiah. But at a certain blessed moment, Divine Providence decreed that a woman should be born who would deserve the coming of the Messiah. Her nativity represents the entrance into the world of the perfect creature who found grace before God and had merit sufficient to end that extensive wait.

All the prayers, sufferings, and faithfulness of the just men living and dead reached their apex with her arrival. There had been Patriarchs, Prophets, just men among the Chosen People and certainly some just men among the Gentiles who had prayed, suffered, and waited; none of this was sufficient to attract the coming of the Redemption.

When God so willed it, He made the perfect creature be born to be the Mother of our Savior. Therefore, the entrance of this exquisite creature into the world marks the presage of the Redemption. The relationship between God and man began to change, and the gates of Heaven that had been tightly locked were semi-opened, permitting the light and breeze of hope to pass through.

Her birth represents the entrance into the world of a new grace, a new blessing, a new presence that was an incomparable presage of the presence, blessing and grace that would come with the Savior. For all these reasons the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady should be most dear to us. It is the event that announces the fall of Paganism. Since we are sons of Our Lady not by our own merit but by her choice, on this day we can ask of her a special grace.

Many mystics who had visions of Our Lady said that on her feast days she visits Purgatory to release a great number of souls whom she takes back with her to Heaven. What happens with the Church Suffering gives us an idea of what takes place with the Church Militant. On these feast days her grace envelops us and gains innumerable favors for us.

On her nativity each one of us ought to ask Mary the graces that we need. We too should give thanks for the many blessings that she has won for us through her Rosary. We ought to realize that because of her maternal protection over us, we have been spared many things. Mother Mary watches over her children. As she covers us in her mantle, we are safe.

On her birthday, let us give gifts to Mary. What can we offer? Perhaps we could offer an act of charity to someone who is bothersome to us, an act of kindness to the elderly, or a prayer for the needy and poor. Whatever we offer Mary as a gift on her birthday let us offer it with love to Maria, Sanctissima Bambina.