St. Padre Pio : Carrying His Cross, Receiving Christ's Yoke, for Redemptive Suffering and an Antidote to Theodicy

September 23 is the Feast of Pius of Pietrelcina, an Italian Franciscan Capuchin priest, affectionally known as St. Padre Pio.

What does St. Padre Pio evoke you?

Perhaps, the stigmata he had.

Then, what does the stigmata of St. Padre Pio mean?

It can be a powerfully visible sign of bearing tremendous suffering bored by him, invoking the Passion of the crucified Christ.

Perhaps, St. Paul of Tarsus, Apostle, can be the first stigmatist, given these words of him against the Judaizers, who demanded circumcision on Gentile Christians.

Not even those having themselves circumcised observe the law themselves; they only want you to be circumcised so that they may boast of your flesh. But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation.

Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God. From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen (Galatians 6:13-18).

By saying, “for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body”(Galatians 6:17), Paul was indicating that he bore the marks of Jesus on his body. And this can be the first known stigmata, given his intimacy with Christ (i.e. Philippians 1:15-23; 3:7-14), Paul bore suffering for Christ as to share his portion of Christ’s redemptive passion for us, symbolically resulting in bearing the marks of Jesus on his body, stigmata.

As found in St. Paul’s teaching, bearing suffering for a duration of time is understood as “μακροθυμία” ( makrothumia) in Biblical Greek. In this Greek word, μακρός (makros) indicates a long period of time, as well as, a great distance, while θυμός (thumos) means strong passion, suffering. And it is often translated in English as “patience”, as one of many aspects of selfless love (ἀγάπη- agape) in 1 Corinthians 13:4.

While St. Paul of Tarsus endured tremendous suffering on his apostolic mission in his intimacy with Christ, who suffered and died to save and redeem us, St. Padre Pio also bored tremendous suffering to death, as his cross to carry, throughout his pastoral ministries. And this is reflected in the Gospel Reading of the Feast of St. Padre Pio, Matthew16:24-27. Had he had proclivity to himself, then, he would not have been able to carry his cross to follow Christ. It would keep him from Christ and his Passion and death, symbolized with his Cross, which symbolizes the salvation and redemption for us. Therefore, as it was the case with St. Paul, St. Padre Pio was crucified with Christ as he carried his cross and had Christ living in him, and it is living by faith, as reflected in the First Reading (Galatians 2:19-20).

In his homily at the canonization Mass for St. Padre Pio, as Pope, St. John Paul II reasoned that St. Padre Pio was able to bear suffering with redemptive meaning because he has received the yoke of Christ (i.e. Matthew 11:28-30). Therefore, the life of St. Padre Pio, in particular, the way he bore suffering with his patience, carrying his cross, reminds us that Jesus not only asks us to take our cross to follow him but also calls us to take his yoke so that our cross can be not only bearable but also bears redemptive meaning, while bringing us intimately to him.

The way St. Padre Pio was bearing suffering to his death in connection with the crucified Christ also gives redemptive meaning to our sufferings, whether they lead to restoration of health or death. And the way he bore suffering is a powerful antidote to the heresy of theodicy.

St. Matthew: A Jewish Man Who Shifted His Master from Caesar to Jesus

In the Gospel Reading of the 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, Luke 16:1-13, Jesus spoke the parable of the shrewd but dishonest steward and the parable’s application. In the year 2022, which is on Cycle C, the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (September 21) falls during the week of the 25^th week in ordinary time.  And I find this quite interesting because Matthew (also known as Levi in the Gospels of Mark and Luke) was a steward of the Roman colonial authorities, collecting taxes from his fellow Israelites for Caesar, while Roman citizens were exempted from taxation at that time. It is not certain if Matthew was dishonest as the steward in Jesus’ parable (Luke 16:1-8) was. He could be a publican (tax collector) trustworthy to the Roman authorities, and did not collect more than he was authorized by the Romans. Regardless of the degree of his honesty in his stewardship, Matthew’s career dealt with mammon, as the taxes he collected on behalf of the Romans were for Caesar, not for God.  Perhaps, he struggled with his Jewish conscience, which was in conflict with this stewardship for Caesar, a pagan, as portrayed in a popular TV show, “The Chosen”, though the steward in Jesus’ parable did not experience a pang of conscience at all as he went on to further squandered his master’s assets by reducing the debts of the master’s tenant farmers without his authorization.

Matthew is a late comer among the twelve apostles. He was not in the first batch of the disciples whom Jesus recruited by the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18-22). By the time he became a disciple, Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee had become quite well-known not only in the region of Galilee but also all the way to Judea and even to where Gentiles were predominant residents, such as Syria and Decapolis, as he drew a large crowd to his ministries of preaching on the Kingdom and healing (Matthew 4:23-25). According to Matthew, by the time he joined Jesus and other disciples, such as Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Jesus had already given his Sermon on the Mount to the crowds (Matthew 5:1-7:29), cleansed a leper (Matthew 8:1-4), healed a centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13), cured Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15), calmed the sea storm (Matthew 8:23-27), healed the demoniacs (Matthew 8:28-34), and healed a paralytic man brought by his faithful friends (Matthew 9:1-8).

While Jesus’ public ministry of preaching and healing was in progress in Galilee, Matthew served as a Caesar’s steward, collecting taxes from his fellow Israelites. It sure made him an object of hatred by them. In this sense, Matthew probably had no Jewish friend for him, except for fellow tax collectors. Perhaps, this had been tormenting him inside. And we cannot deny a possibility that Matthew had growing interest in Jesus, hoping to be free from his internal moral and spiritual dilemma as an Israelite betraying his fellow people by serving for the colonial power, Caesar the Roman.

Perhaps, it was just a right time for Matthew that Jesus saw and called him to follow, and he readily followed him (Matthew 9:9). He did not hesitate when Jesus called him. Matthew did not seem to be like one of these “would be followers” (Matthew 8:18-22), who could be indecisive in following Jesus. So, Matthew left his lucrative tax collecting career and simply followed Jesus, as he must have been waiting for the Messiah as a Jewish man.

Matthew must have been so happy that it was Jesus who took the initiative to reach out to him, as it was the case with other disciples, who were called by him. Calling Matthew to follow him and to be in his company was like finding a lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7). But, in this case, Jesus could have found and redeemed more than just a lost sheep, named Matthew, because finding Matthew resulted in having contact with more lost sheep of Israel, Matthew’s fellow tax collectors.

Matthew must have rejoiced to be found and called by Jesus, as he invited him and his disciples to his house for dinner on that day, also bringing a bunch of other tax collectors and sinners to this table fellowship with Jesus (Matthew 9:10). Though it is not written whether these tax collectors and sinners converted their hearts and joined Jesus’ discipleship as Matthew did. Nevertheless, they encountered Jesus the Messiah. And his Word was sown to their hearts, as reflected in his parable of the sower (Luke 8:4-15).

Then, the Pharisees complained and accused of Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11), as they reacted contemptuously when he spoke of the parable of the dishonest steward and the parable’s application (Luke 16:14).

The Pharisees must have regarded Jesus befriending himself with those who had fattened themselves with mammon by cheating both their Roman masters and fellow Jewish tax payers. So, Jesus explained why, citing Hosea 6:6:

Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners (Matthew 9:12-13).

Jesus was not just having dinner with the tax collectors and sinners at Matthew’s house on the evening of calling Matthew. Jesus must have called all of them to follow him as Matthew started, treating them with his mercy so that they could repent and respond to his call on them affirmatively. So, the First Reading of the Feast of St. Matthew (Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13) reminds us to live worthy of Jesus’ call, which we all have received, with humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace, in order to build the Church as one body.

We cannot serve God and mammon at the same time. Matthew handled mammon in his service to Caesar. But, he was happy to have been found by his true master, Jesus. So, by following his, Matthew began to serve Jesus, writing his Gospel, and engaging in his apostolic mission until he was beheaded in 60AD.

Maria, Mater Dolorosa

We have Marian Octave in August, from the Solemnity of Assumption (August 15)  to the Memorial of the Queenship (August 22). There is another Marian Octave in the following month, from the Feast of Mary’s Nativity (September 8) to the Memorial of Our Lady of the Sorrows (September 15).  The Marian Octave of August reflects the consummation of Mary’s mission, her service to God the Father as the Theotokos (God bearer, the Mother of God, the Ark of the New Covenant),  resulting in the heavenly coronation as the Gebirah (Queen-Mother) of the Christ the King in his Kingdom, upon her Assumption into heaven.  In contrast, the Marian Octave of September focuses on Mary’s life on earth, from her birth to her Assumption. And it reminds that her life on earth was challenged by many sorrows, represented with the Seven Sorrows, because of her Son, who suffered and died but rose from the dead to save and redeem us. In other words, Mary was born to bear many sufferings and to grieve because of her Son’s sufferings and death, reflected on the Seven Sorrows of Mary, as revealed to St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373) and on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, based on the revelation to St. Dominic Guzman (1170–1221).

Seven Sorrows of Mary	Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary
I.                The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-35)
II.             The Flight Into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14)
III.           The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:43-45)
	1.    The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46)
	2.    The Scourging at the Pillar (John 19:1-7)
IV.          Mary Meets Jesus on His Way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-29)	3.    The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-31)
	4.    The Carrying of the Cross             Matthew 27:31-33)
V.             Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross (John 19:25-27)	5.    The Crucifixion and Death ((John 19:18-30)
VI.          Jesus is Taken Down From the Cross (John 19:32-34)
VII.        The Burial of Jesus (John 19:41-42)

 As reflected in the First Sorrow of Mary, Simeon prophesized Mary’s suffering in these words, which are from the optional Gospel Reading of the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Luke 2:33-35):

Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted, and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed  (Luke 2:34-35).

Simeon made this prophecy of Mary’s sorrows as her First Sorrow, when she and her husband, Joseph, brought baby Jesus to the temple for the presentation of the firstborn son to be consecrated (Exodus 13:2), upon her completion of postpartum purification (Leviticus 12:2-4) (Luke 2:22-38). Because the Presentation of the Lord is the Fourth Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary, it is quite interesting to find the First Sorry of Mary in this context.  And this first Sorry of Mary is Simeon’s prophesy for other Sorrows of hers, because her Son, Jesus, was destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel (Luke 2:34), meaning that he was to bring a sward for the division: those who believe in him and those who do not (i.e. Matthew 10:34-36). And this division brought by Jesus is to reveal thoughts of many hearts: yearning for the truth found in Jesus’ teaching and repugnance to his teaching.  Mary was to suffer and bear sorrows because of the division brought by her Son, Jesus, and how people react to him and his teaching, as she was to be pierced by a sword.

Jesus said to bring a sward for making the division between those whose hearts’ thought to long for his truth and those who reject it (Matthew 10:34). And Mary was prophesized to be pierced by a sword by Simeon (Luke 2:35).The sword of Jesus to divide the believers and non-believers is μάχαιρα/machaira (Matthew 10:34), while the sword that pierces Mary is ῥομφαία /rhomphaia (Luke 2:35). The former is a short sword that can be easily carried. It is also what Peter used in cutting the ear the high priest’s servant when Jesus was arrested (John 18:10). On the other hand, the latter is a sabre, long and wide blade sword of the Thracian origin. But it also figuratively refers to a war, as well as, grief. Therefore, Simeon’s prophesy on Mary’s suffering with sorrows, as being pierced by ῥομφαία /rhomphaia may also be symbolically referred to Satan’s attack on a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars, pregnant with a son (Revelation 12:1-18).

The Gospel Reading of the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (John 19:25-27) reflects the Fifth Sorrow of Mary and a part of the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery of the Holy Rosary. In this Gospel text, we see Mary, together with Mary Magdalene and other women, and John, at the foot of the Cross, on which Jesus was lifted. And we hear Jesus saying to Mary, “Woman, behold, your son” (John 19:26), prompting her to look at John, whom he loved, and saying to him, “Behold, your mother”(John 19:27), prompting him to look at Mary.

Before expiration, out of his excruciating agony, Jesus mastered up to make sure his mother, Mary, in sorrow, is well-taken care by John, who did not desert him, as Peter and other disciples did. Jesus must have found John to be the fitting one to care for Mary. And John in this scene represents us, those who believe in him and follow him, carrying our own respective crosses (i.e. Matthew 16:24).

According to the Jewish tradition, it was for Jesus, the firstborn son, to care for Mary, who has become a widow by that time, after Joseph’s death. But, he was dying on the Cross, as watched by his mother, Mary. Jesus sensed not only her sorrow but also her concerned of a possibility to be a lone widow, after his death. So, he wanted to assured her that John, who remained as faithful as her in following him to the foot of the Cross, would care for her in his place. This was how Jesus loved and cared for his mother, Mary, in his last hour on the Cross.

The First Reading of the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Hebrews 5:7-9) describes Jesus’ psychospiritual agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36–46//Mark 14:32–42//Luke 22:39–46). And it is reflected on the First Sorrowful Mystery of the Holy Rosary.

Though she was not physically present in the scene, Mary sure saw her Son, Jesus, was already in deep anguish. At that dark hour, Mary shared Jesus’ agony, though Peter, James, and John, who were physically at the scene, did not seem to feel his pain, as they were asleep. Following this, Jesus began walking his destined path to Calvary, known as Via Dolorosa, punctuated with the 14 Stations of the Cross. And Mary walked on this path of sorrows with her Son, Jesus, as reflected on her Fourth Sorrow on.

Yes, Mary is the Most Blessed Virgin, which goes with her holy name, which is celebrated during the September Marian Octave, on September 12. But, being most blessed among all humans also came with unfathomable sorrows, because of the passion and death of her Son, Jesus, for our salvation and redemption. By bearing her sorrows, being pierced, for her Son, and for us, her spiritual children, offspring, Mary has become the prime collaborator to God’s scheme of our salvation and redemption.  Our salvation and redemption have been made possible, because Mary has suffered, as her Son, Jesus, has gone through suffering and death.

The sufferings of Jesus and his mother, Mary, have not ceased. Both Jesus and Mary continue to suffer because we have not stopped sinning and apostatizing. Our sins and apostasy continue to keep both Jesus and Mary in suffering and sorrow.

That is why Mary’s Seven Sorrows were revealed to St. Bridged by Jesus. That is why she has been speaking to the world to repent and to return to her Son in her apparitions. If we do not listen to Our Lady of Sorrows, who has been warning us of catastrophic consequences of our sins, keeping her Son and her, in suffering and sorrow, we might turn Christ’s suffering and death, as well as, the sorrows of Mary, meaningless.

As we reflect on Mary’s sorrow, along with the suffering and death of her Son, Jesus the Christ, contemplating on her messages in making apparitions, let us show our love and care for the sorrowful Immaculate Heart of our mother, Mary, by repenting and converting our hearts, so that our hearts may be worthy to be united with the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And that is when all the sorrows of Jesus, of Mary, and of ours, will cease and be turned into joy, as prophesized (e.g. Isaiah 35:10; 51:11; 65:19; 66:10) and in an eschatological vision (Revelation 21:4).

Maria, Mater Dolorosa, ora pro nobis mediatrix nostrum. Amen.

St. John Chrysostom, Sower of the Word through His Golden Mouth

 The Gospel Reading of the Feast of St. John Chrysostom (Mark 4:1-10, 13-20) is about Jesus’ parable of the sower. In this parable, Jesus speaks of himself as the sower who goes to various places and sow seeds of faith – the Word.

The parable reflects Jesus speaking of the Gospel (the Good News) in places in Galilee and in Judea, through his public ministry, following his 40-day-and-night fasting in the wilderness of the Judean desert, upon his Baptism. The Word in his Gospel on salvation and redemption to the Kingdom of God is the seed sown by Jesus to the hearts of people who heard him. Some received this seed of faith well while others did not.  Those who received it and let their faith grow out of it followed Jesus as his disciples all the way, though not all of those who received the Word and became followers made their way with him to the Cross.

In this parable, Jesus puts four types of receivers of his Word: those who do not take the Word in and let it be wasted (being like a path), those who may receive the Word but cannot keep it and easily lose it by apostatizing when facing tribulation or persecution, because they do not let it grow its roots in their hearts (being like rocky ground), those who hear the Word but with hearts plagued with worldly anxieties, temptations of riches, and the unsatiable cravings, intrude and choke the Word, resulting in no fruition (being like thorny ground), those who not just hear but listen to the Word with their eager hearts bear manifold fruits of faith (being like the rich soil). And in his sermon (44:3-7), St. John Chrysostom preached on this parable, encouraging his audience to be like the rich soil – being eager listener to the Word sown first by Christ himself then by evangelizing apostles.

St. John Chrysostom is, certainly, one of those who were on apostolic mission to “sow” the Word. And, he was known for his eloquence in preaching – being effective “sower” of the Word. For this reason, he was called, “Χρυσόστομος” (Khrusostomos), which means “golden-mouthed” (χρυσός /khrusos, “gold”) +‎ στόμα/stoma, “mouth”).

In his sermon 44, St. John Chrysostom emphasized on our need to make ourselves better receiver of the Word. So he calls us to eliminate any obstacles for the Word to be received and to grow in us, saying:

Let us fortify ourselves on all sides, regarding His instructions, and striking our roots deep, and cleansing ourselves from all worldly things. But if we do the one, neglecting the other, we shall be nothing bettered; for though we perish not in one way, yet shall we in some other. For what signifies our not being ruined by riches, if we are by indolence: or not by indolence, if we are by softness. For so the husbandman, whether this way or that way he lose his crop, equally bewails himself. Let us not then soothe ourselves upon our not perishing in all these ways, but let it be our grief, in whichever way we are perishing.

And let us burn up the thorns, for they choke the word. And this is known to those rich men, who not for these matters alone, but for others also prove unprofitable. For having become slaves and captives of their pleasures, they are useless even for civil affairs, and if for them, much more for those of Heaven. Yea, and in two ways hereby our thoughts are corrupted; both by the luxury, and by the anxiety too. For either of these by itself were enough to overwhelm the bark; but when even both concur, imagine how high the billow swells.

 And St. John Chrysostom concludes his sermon 44 with these words:

Let us flee luxury, let us study moderation, that we may both enjoy health of body, and having delivered our soul from all infirmity, may attain unto the good things to come, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might forever and ever. Amen.

In light of the First Reading (Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13), the Word sown first by Christ and then by preachers, like St. John Chrysostom, is a grace. And as we receive it and let it transform us, we are to build up the Body of Christ, attaining the unity of faith.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Its Christological and Soteriological Significance

9 months from the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8). Thus, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a natural sequence to the Immaculate Conception.

Based on Bl. John Duns Scotus’ logically sound argument on Mary being preserved from a stain of the Original Sin for the universal primacy of Christ in his Ordinatio III in Lectura in Librum Tertium Sententiarum, Vol. XX. Pope Bl. Pius IX issued the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception on the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ineffabilis Deus (1954). In its paragraph 1, Pope Bl. Pius IX wrote:

This he decreed in order that man who, contrary to the plan of Divine Mercy had been led into sin by the cunning malice of Satan, should not perish; and in order that what had been lost in the first Adam would be gloriously restored in the Second Adam. From the very beginning, and before time began, the eternal Father chose and prepared for his only-begotten Son a Mother in whom the Son of God would become incarnate and from whom, in the blessed fullness of time, he would be born into this world. Above all creatures did God so loved her that truly in her was the Father well pleased with singular delight. Therefore, far above all the angels and all the saints so wondrously did God endow her with the abundance of all heavenly gifts poured from the treasury of his divinity that this mother, ever absolutely free of all stain of sin, all fair and perfect, would possess that fullness of holy innocence and sanctity than which, under God, one cannot even imagine anything greater, and which, outside of God, no mind can succeed in comprehending fully.

In the above excerpt from Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Bl. Pius IX explains that God the Father had chosen Mary to be the mother of His Son in sending him to us incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus to let him dwell among us (John 1:1, 14), even before time began. Thus, with her Immaculate Conception, as planned by God the Father before the Creation, it is evident that Mary was chosen to collaborate the salvation and the redemption through the Son of God, the Christ, who pre-existed and was predestined to be sent also as the head of the Church (Colossians 1:15-18). Thus, Mary was conceived without any influence of the Original Sin, as the Immaculate Conception and born of Anna in the fullness of time, as described in Protoevengelium of James, in the context of the primacy of Christ, who comes as the Second (New) Adam (Colossians 1:15-20). Therefore, the Immaculate Conception and birth of Mary, the Blessed Virgin, is for the coming of Christ as the Second (New) Adam, to serve as the Second (New) Eve, in order to reverse degenerating effects of the Original Sin. And this is to fulfill God’s prophesy against Satan in Eden:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel (Genesis 3:15).

The firstborn among the offspring of the woman is Jesus the Christ, the firstfruit of Mary’s womb, and we, the follower of Christ as his disciples, are among the offspring of Mary the woman, for she is not only the Mother of Christ but also our mother, as well (John 19:26-27). Therefore, we are, as the offspring of Mary, the Second (New) Eve, we fight the offspring of Satan and his offspring (i.e. Ephesians 6:10-17; 2 Corinthians 2:8-11; 1 Peter 5:8-10; cf. Revelation 11:19-19:21) until Christ returns and destroys Satan (Revelation 20:7-10).

Because it is not written how Mary was conceived and born in the canonical scriptures, those who subscribe to the doctrine of sola scriptura may find it uneasy to believe that Mary was conceived immaculately without any trace of the Original Sin and to celebrate her birth as a feast – although these sequential events of Mary are in the context of the salvific and redemptive nature of the primacy of Christ. Given that the inexhaustible truth of the Christ cannot be contained in the canonical scriptures (i.e. John 21:25), it is necessary to consult sources and traditions other than what is written in the canonical scriptures for a better picture of Christ, especially in reference to his relation to Mary, his mother, who has uniquely contributed to God’s scheme of salvation and redemption of the offspring of Adam and Eve in His protoevengelium (Genesis 3:15).  Mary’s fiat through these words, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”(Luke 1:38) at the time of conceiving the incarnated Christ in her womb, has put her in the position of the prime collaborator to God’s salvation and redemption of the humans through His incarnated Son.

Why is it important to know and reflect the conception and the birth of Mary the Blessed Virgin, who gave birth the incarnated Christ and raised him as his mother with her loving husband, Joseph? It is because we can better understand Christology and soteriology in connection to the life span of Mary, from her Immaculate Conception to the heavenly Queenship upon her Assumption.  Because Mary is the Immaculate Conception, being preserved from any effect of the Original Sin for being full of grace (Luke 1:28, 30), the incarnation of God the Theos-Logos (John 1:1, 14) took place during the Annunciation  by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-38). The human flesh for the incarnation of Christ must be preserved from any effect of the Original Sin, because he is the ultimate unblemished Paschal Lamb worthy of the perfect קרבן פסח (Korban Pesach) (Exodus 12:1-14). So John the Baptist called Jesus the incarnated Christ, “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”( Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi)(John 1:29).

If you celebrate Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord, then, it is natural to celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the mother of the Lord, as called by Elizabeth (Luke 1:43), and as proclaimed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. For the Nativity of the Lord is a pivotal point of the salvation history, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a clear sign for the protoevangelium prophesy of God on the Second (New) Adam through the Second (New) Eve in Genesis 3:15 to be fulfilled.

Zechariah, in his Benedictus, metaphorically viewed the birth of Christ, the Second (New) Adam, as sunrise to bring the light of salvation (Luke 1:78-79; cf. Isaiah 9:1-2; cf. Malachi 3:20/4:2). Then, the Immaculate Conception and the birth of Mary and the Annunciation, all of these events of Mary were predawn work of God for Christ’s salvific and redemptive primacy.

Mary was conceived free from any effect of the Original Sin, as Bl. John Dunc Scotus argued and as Pope Bl. Pius IX promulgated.  Then, she was born of Anna, whose husband was Joachim, as described in Protoevangelium of James (1-5). Not just because there is nothing written about Mary’s conception and birth in the canonical scriptures but because she came into being for the primacy of her Son, the Christ, the scripture readings of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Micah 5:1-4a or Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 1:1-16,18-23) are all about her Son, the Christ. None of these reading touches on Mary’s birth.

In the First Reading of the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Micah 5:1-4a), foreseeing the seize of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Micah prophesized the coming of the Davidic Messiah-King after the dark period of  the destruction of Jerusalem, shedding light into the post-exilic hope.

You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, rom ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel (Micah 5:1-2).

Though the Israelites were to be handed over to the Babylonians (Micah 5:2a) for sinning against God (Micah 1:1-16), God was not going to leave them in abandonment but save them by sending His Son as the Davidic King born in Bethlehem.

The above prophecy of the coming of the Davidic Messianic King also echoes God’s words to Nathan for David (2 Samuel 7:10-16; 1 Chronicles 17:9-14).

In the Gospel Reading (Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23), we see the Davidic lineage of Jesus, who was born of Mary, whose husband was Joseph of the Davidic lineage, called as son of David by Gabriel (Matthew 1:20).

The Micah’s prophecy of the coming of the Davidic Messianic King’s birth in Bethlehem-Ephrathah was fulfilled when Mary gave birth to the incarnated Christ in Bethlehem (Luke 2:7), as God had predestined her to be the Immaculate Conception, and so she was born free of any effect of the Original Sin as the daughter of Anna and Joachim.

As Isaac was so to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18:9-15, 21:1-7),  as Samuel was so to Elkanah and Hanna (1 Samuel 1:1-20), and John the Baptist was so to Zechariah an Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25, 41,57-60), Mary was very special to Joachim and Anna, because God sent her in response to the grieving cries of this righteous couple for having Joachim’s offering rejected by Rubim, a priest,  for being childless (Protoeveangelium of James, 1).

And this is how the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is written in Protoevangelium of James, 5:

And her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna brought forth. And she said to the midwife: What have I brought forth? And she said: A girl. And said Anna: My soul has been magnified this day. And she laid her down. And the days having been fulfilled, Anna was purified, and gave the breast to the child, and called her name Mary.

Upon her birth, Mary was consecrated and offered to God to serve His will, raised in the Temple from age 3 (Protoevangelium of James, 6-8), and her marriage  to Joseph of the Davidic lineage, was arranged by the temple priests according to a sign from God (ibid. 9).

The optional First Reading (Romans 8:28-30) reflects God’s will for those who love Him (Romans 8:28), and it has made us predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29), resulting in justification and glorification (Romans 8:30). For this, God sent His only begotten Son through Mary, who was predestined to be conceived without any trace of the Original Sin for having special full grace (Luke 1:28, 30), and who has consented to be the mother of the Son of the Most High with her fiat (Luke 1:38).

Because the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived and born in the perfect state of grace, she is free of any effect of the Original Sin. This made her suitable for the incarnation of the Theos-Logos (John 1:1) in the unblemished human flesh in her womb and give birth to him. So he dwells among us, in flesh (John 1:14) and in the Holy Spirit (John 14:18, 28), and he makes himself available as the living bread of life (John 6:51) in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order for us to be conformed to his likeliness, as God wills (Romans 8:28). Therefore, the Immaculate Conception and the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary are also for us to be justified in the likeliness of the incarnated Christ, her Son, so that God is glorified.

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, sequence to her Immaculate Conception, is a significant event in God’s salvific and redemptive scheme. Mary’s existence is totally for her Son and his primacy. Therefore, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a point of our reflection on how Mary’s role is for us to be justified, saved, and redeemed, for God’s glory.