Bible
Study: Micah 5, 2 to 5 and Matthew 1, 1 to 23.
In the entire Catholic liturgical calendar, there are only three persons
whose birthdays are celebrated as feasts; Jesus Christ, John the Baptist and
Mary. This goes to show how important these three persons are as far as the
history of our salvation is concerned. If these three persons were not born,
the world would have been a different place altogether. There wouldn’t have
been such a thing as Christianity. Today we celebrate the birthday of our
Mother Mary. If you recall, it is exactly nine months since we celebrated the
feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception on the 8th of December last year.
Today, Mary was born to her humble parents Joachim and Ann. Like every
other child, her parents had no idea that this child they have just had would
eventually be the one to carry in her womb the Son of God, Jesus Christ our
redeemer and king. They had no idea that this child had been conceived without
any spot or stain of original sin as God’s own way of preparing her for the
role she was to play as Mother of Jesus Christ.
One thing that is clear from today’s readings is the fact that God does
not act arbitrarily. He does not just decide to do something out of the blues.
He plans, he makes adequate preparation and ensures he properly prepares ground
for his plans to come to pass. As God said to Jeremiah, “For surely I know the
plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm,
to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. Thousands of years before
Christ was born, God already planned what he was going to do. As we hear in the
conclusion of this morning’s Gospel passage, “All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with
child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is
with us.”
By the time the Prophet Micah was speaking in today’s first reading,
even Micah himself had no idea when his prophecies would come to pass. Dear
friend, as we greet our Mother Mary happy birthday today, I want you to know
that your life is not a mistake. You are here today because God wants you to be
here and his plans for you must surely come to pass. It is your responsibility
to seek God’s face to reveal to us what exactly is your role, your goal and
purpose in life. But I assure you, your life is not by chance, it is definitely
not a mistake.
Let Us
Pray:
Holy Mary,
happy birthday. Pray to God for me that my life may be blessed. May the soul of
Rev. Fr. Augustine Ebosele and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in
peace. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu
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