The Church celebrates the birth of Mary every September 8. She who, since all eternity, was conceived in the heart of God as his Daughter and Mother, is present! He contemplates her with love! Father Kentenich teaches us: “The Father begot the Son from all eternity. Thus, the image of Mary, in the true sense of the word, was begotten since all eternity in the spirit of the Father. And since all eternity, the Father, the Trinity, has cared with great love for the figure of the beloved Mother of God.” What a great feast in heaven and on earth! The Daughter of God the Father has been born, the one who, with the power of the Holy Spirit, will become the Mother of God the Son!
This year we want to celebrate Mary’s birthday with renewed love and offer her the gifts of our filial love. The child we contemplate today in the humble cradle of Joachim and Anne’s home is the Immaculate, forged from all eternity as the open door to heaven, the fruitful soil in which God becomes incarnate, becomes one of us.
“She is that which still remains of Paradise. She is what God reserved for himself, the one he preserved from original sin and from the ruin of sin. She will become the new being from which a new plan for the world, a new plan of salvation, must emerge”
Fr. Joseph Kentenich
Happy birthday, Mary! Happy are we, because in every Marian shrine she is reborn! Happy are we, because she seals a Covenant of Love with us! She wants to be reborn and live her life anew in each of her children. “God must make a small image of Mary in us, modeled on Christ and moulder of Christ” (Fr. Joseph Kentenich). May Mary live in each one of us, constantly bringing Christ to the environment in which we live!
Celebration in the Original Shrine: “My soul sings – for you, Mary!
We celebrate the birthday of the Mother of God. On this occasion, the Sisters of Mary invite you to come to the Original Shrine to sing to Mary this Sunday evening, at an international level.
The cantata begins at 19:15 (German time) in the Original Shrine and will be broadcast live via webcam:
Since 2020, this cantata has been taking place, usually organized by the Pilgrim’s Center on the evening of a Marian feast. We cordially invite you to sing, to listen and to be simply present.
Let us offer gifts of love to Mary on her feast day. Let us meditate on the happy transformation that her birth means for the history of humanity and, united with Jesus, let us ask her:
“Let us reflect your image and walk through life entirely like you:
strong and noble, simple and kind, spreading love and peace and joy.
In us go through our times and make them ready for Christ”. (Heavenwards 609)
Source: Schoenstatt Brazil | Schoenstatt Pilgrim Center | Photo: Doug Ulp | Translation: Maribel Acaron
