Quoted from Franciscan Media [1]:
The Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year with September. The September 8 date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s birth. However, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James fills in the gap. This work has no historical value, but it does reflect the development of Christian piety. According to this account, Anna and Joachim are infertile but pray for a child. They receive the promise of a child who will advance God’s plan of salvation for the world. Such a story, like many biblical counterparts, stresses the special presence of God in Mary’s life from the beginning.Saint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through [H]er birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.”
Quoted from Wikipedia [2]:
The Byzantine Rite Orthodox likewise celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos on 8 September. The Syriac Orthodox Church, like its closely related sister church, the Byzantine Rite Antiochian Orthodox Church, also celebrates the feast on 8 September....The Armenian Apostolic Church also uses the traditional date of 8 September....
Below is a painting by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
 |
| https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bartolom%C3%A9_Esteban_Perez_Murillo_-_Birth_of_the_Virgin_-_WGA16372.jpg |
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_of_Mary, quoted without hyperlinks and references.
No comments:
Post a Comment