My dear sisters,
September is a special month in many ways. It can be called a Marian month for the reason that we celebrate three of her of her feasts in this month. Her birth (Sept 8th), her being given the revered name Mary (Sept 12th) and her being a partner with her Son in the redemptive suffering (Sept 15th) remind us of the purpose of her presence in the world. She is very dear to us in many ways and this month gives us an opportunity to manifest our love towards her. What gift can a mother expect from her children except that they become her own replica?
The Nativity of our Blessed Mother is celebrated annually by the Church on 8th September. It commemorates an awesome event exuding joy and beauty. From the beginning she is destined to be the Mother of the Saviour; hence, she is conceived without sin in the womb of her mother Anna. Her birthday is described as “the hope of the entire world and the dawn of salvation.”
As we celebrate the feast of the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray to her to make us the doers of the Word. We pray to her to bless the little children who have honoured her by strewing flowers for nine days. We pray to her to bless the girl children who suffer rejection and exploitation. Her holy birth as a girl child graces the birth of every girl child in this world. It is a proof that God honours every girl child. He has a plan for every girl child conceived in her mother’s womb. Every girl child who comes into this world is endowed with God’s special favour to be bearers of life in all its aspects, be it physical or spiritual. But the pitiable plight of the girl child in India is no secret to any of us. So the clarion call is to challenge constantly the harmful traditional practices that terrorize female children, to foster respect and esteem for girls, and empower them to be active participants of their own growth and become leaders in the society. Let us pray to Mary to grant to every citizen the grace to honour every girl child as God’s masterpiece meant to grace this world with her gentleness, beauty and unique feminine qualities of head and heart.
For Mangaloreans, today is a family day whereby we forget all pain and discord and come together for a family meal. It is a day of union and reconciliation; it is day of sharing and celebration. On this beautiful day, I offer all our families to our Blessed Mother and plead her to make them as cradles of joy and peace.
As we celebrate this feast, we celebrate our affinity with the nature which gives us in bounty the first fruits of the earth. We thank the Master of Creation for his goodness and generosity and make a pledge today to protect and care for our common home - nature - in obedience to the call of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Long live our Mother Earth!
I wish you my dear sisters a very happy feast of the NATIVITY of our Blessed Mother!
Sr Mariette BS
Provincial Superior