On September 8th the Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of all humanity. How blessed we are to have such a perfect Mother, chosen to be not only the Mother of Jesus Christ, but our very own Mother! From revelations given to Venerable Mary of Agreda, written in The Mystical City of God, we learn:
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"On the Saturday next..., the Almighty created the soul of His Mother and infused it into the body; and thus entered into the world that pure Creature, more holy, perfect and agreeable to His eyes than all those He had created, or will create to the end of the world...
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"At the same time She was filled with grace and gifts above those of the highest seraphim of heaven, and there was not a single instant in which She was found wanting or deprived of the light, the friendship and love of the Creator, or in which She was touched by the stain or darkness of original sin.
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"To her also was conceded the most perfect use of the light of reason, corresponding to the gifts of grace, which She had received. Not for one instant was She to remain idle, but to engage in works most admirable and pleasing to her Maker.
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"...She knew and was conversant with the whole natural and supernatural order of things, in accordance with the grandeur of God. Hence from her first instant in the womb of her mother, She was wiser, more prudent, more enlightened, and more capable of comprehending God and all His works, than all the creatures have been or ever will be in eternity, excepting of course her most holy Son.
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"In correspondence with this wonderful knowledge of her most holy soul at the instant of its union with the body, Mary exerted Herself by eliciting heroic acts of virtue, of incomparable admiration, praise, glorification, adoration, humility, love of God and sorrow for the sins committed against Him, whom She recognized as the Author and end of these admirable works. She hastened to offer Herself as an acceptable sacrifice to the Most High, beginning from that instant with fervent desire to bless Him, love Him and honor Him, because She perceived that the bad angels and men failed to know and love Him.
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"...at the instant of her coming into existence, She began to seek a remedy for mankind and commenced the work of mediation, intercession and reparation...She perceived the love of God and His desire to descend from heaven in order to redeem men, though she knew not how it should be consummated. It was befitting that God should feel Himself impelled to hasten His coming on account of the prayers and petitions of this Creature; since it was principally for the love of Her that He came, and since in Her body He was to assume human flesh, accomplish the most admirable of all His works, and fulfill the end of all other creatures."
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It had been revealed to Saint Anne that she would bear a daughter who would be the Mother of the awaited Messiah. She was told to keep this secret even from her husband, Saint Joachim. The Almighty made it known to him in the last moments of his life, and the Blessed Mother never knew that she had been chosen to be the Mother of God until the time of the Annunciation when Saint Gabriel appeared to her.
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"The day destined for the parturition of Saint Anne and for the birth of Her, who was consecrated and sanctified to be the Mother of God, had arrived: a day most fortunate for the world. This birth happened on the eighth day of September, fully nine months having elapsed since the Conception of the soul of our most holy Queen and Lady.
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"She was born pure and stainless, beautiful and full of grace, thereby demonstrating that She was free from the law and the tribute of sin.
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"At twelve o'clock in the night this divine Luminary issued forth, dividing the night of the ancient Law and its pristine darkness from the new day of grace, which now was about to break into dawn. She was clothed, handled and dressed like other infants, though her soul dwelt in the Divinity; and She was treated as an infant, although she excelled all mortals and even all the angels in wisdom.
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"The thousand angels appointed as guardians of the great Queen offered themselves and dedicated themselves to her service.
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"At the moment of the birth of our princess Mary, the Most High sent the archangel Gabriel as an envoy to bring this joyful news to the holy Fathers in limbo...He told them that already the dawn of eternal felicity had commenced and that the reparation of man, which was so earnestly desired and expected by the holy Patriarchs and foretold by the Prophets, had been begun, since She who was to be the Mother of the Messiah had now been born; soon would they now see the salvation and the glory of the Most High. The holy prince gave them an understanding of the excellence of the most holy Mary and of what the Omnipotent had begun to work in Her, in order that they might better comprehend the happy beginning of the mystery..."
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Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, Mother of all priests, and our Mother, help us respond generously to the Holy Spirit's request, through the voice of His Church, to offer up to God Eucharistic adoration for priests. Amen.
