MARIAN NOVENA IN PREPARATION FOR MOTHER MARY’S BIRTHDAY ( Sept. 8 ). AV and full text.

MARIAN NOVENA IN PREPARATION FOR MOTHER MARY’S BIRTHDAY or OUR LADY’S NATIVITY (Sept. 8).
AV summary and full text.

Amidst the suffering of many people due to the actual pandemic, natural disasters, illness, poverty, and daily problems, and the constant threats to world peace, let us turn to heavenly Mother to ask her intercession on our behalf to the Most Blessed Trinity to answer our intentions by making a personal novena in preparation for her Nativity.

On September 8, the Church will celebrate the Nativity of Mary, that is, the birthday of Our Mother Mary. As loving children usually think of something to make their mothers happy for their birthday, we could perhaps do the same to Our Lady.

How would you prepare for your Mother’s birthday? Have you ever thought how Jesus would have prepared for the birthday of His Mother Mary?

During this month of August, I have been celebrating Mass during some days at a center of Opus Dei different from the one where I usually celebrate the Holy Mass daily at the outskirts of Seville. I have been there a few times during these past 15 years but this time the reredo of the chapel caught my attention:  it is a painting showing the young Jesus offering a rose to Our Lady who was knitting and with St. Joseph at the background, with a happy and tender masculine look.

This painting gave me the idea to revive the month of May custom of offering “flowers” to Our Lady in preparation for her birthday with the idea of making her happy. We all know how mothers lovingly appreciate flowers we give them.

One day, after being illuminated by God, St. John Maria Vianney, the Holy Curé d’Ars, approached a widow who came for the first time in his parish church and was sobbing while she was praying:

– “Woman,” said St. John Ma. Vianney, “your prayer has been heard. Your husband has been saved.”

And as the widow did not say anything as she was awed by what she just heard, the holy priest continued:

-“Don’t you recall how your husband, a month before his death, asked you to go to the garden to get the most beautiful rose and told you to bring the rose to the altar of the Blessed Virgin …? Our Lady has not forgotten your husband’s loving gesture…”

In preparation for Our Mother’s birthday, we could offer flowers to Our Lady, not only real ones, but “spiritual flowers” as well like that of

• our daily Marian prayer, like the Angelus, Holy Rosary…and loving glances to her images, saying sweet words, thanking her for being our mother and giving us Our Lord…
•  our struggle to live holy purity saying “no” to every occasion of sin and temptation by praying the “Blessed be Thy purity” or “Hail Mary” or simply, “Mother, help me!”
•  offering to Our Lord through her help our work, study, tiredness, illness, traffic, or any contradiction with patience and cheerfulness
• biting our tongue when we are about to say something which could hurt, insult or defame another person
• helping a person in need
• and the list goes on…

The “spiritual flowers” or gifts for Our Lady need not be something extraordinary.
As long as they are gestures done out of love and affection, our loving mother will surely appreciate them. Mothers never forget the details of love and affection from their children! Let us then give our daily small “flowers” to our Mother Mary, details of affection, to make her happy in preparation for her birthday.
Honoring her which will be surely pleasing to God, as He Himself honored her by choosing her to be the Mother of His Son.

For the resolution of the turbulent situation in the world, for those who are suffering due to natural disasters, for the conversion of the sowers of terrorism and for the peaceful co-existence of all peoples, we fly to you o Virgin Mary to present to Jesus our petitions. Most Blessed Trinity, hear our prayers and have mercy on us! Amen.

Fr. Rolly Arjonillo.

AUDIO SOURCE: J. S. Bach: Prelude in C – BWV 846 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License in http://freemusicarchive.org/…/Classi…/Prelude_in_C_-_BWV_846

FOR THE DAILY PRAYERS OF THE NOVENA FOR THE BIRTHDAY OF OUR LADY, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.

NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY NOVENA

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