The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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The following apocryphal text is from The Birth of Mary, Glorious Mother of Jesus Christ, according to the Book of James, or Protevangelium. Source: The Book of Mary by Henri Daniel-Rops, Hawthorne Books, Inc., NY.

"...And he remembered the patriarch Abraham, how in the last days God gave him a son, even Isaac. And Ioachim (Joachim) was sore grieved, and showed not himself to his wife, but betook himself into the wilderness, and pitched his tent there, and fasted forty days and forty nights..."

"Now his wife Anna lamented with two lamentations, and wewailed herself with two bewailings, saying: I will bewail my widowhood, and I will bewail my childlessness..."

"...And behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, saying unto her: Anna, Anna, the Lord hath hearkened unto thy prayer and thou shalt conceive and bear, and thy seed shall be spoken of in the whole world. And, Anna said: As the Lord my God liveth, if I bring forth either male or female, I will bring it for a gift unto the Lord my God, and it shall be ministering unto him all the days of its life...."

"...an angel of the Lord came down unto him sayings: Ioacim, Ioacim, the Lord God hath hearkened unto thy prayer. Get thee down hence, for behold thy wife Anna shall conceive..."

"...And her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna brought forth. And she said unto the midwife: What have I brought forth? And she said: A female. And Anna said: My soul is magnified this day, and she laid herself down. And when the days were fulfilled, Anna purified herself and gave suck to the child and called her name Mary..."

O Ever Sweet and Blessed Mother, on the day we remember and honor your birth, please bestow on us, your flawed children, a great love and devotion to you, as the Mother of Our Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ and our mother.

May we ever follow your loving example to be sweet, kind, gentle, loving and silent, especially when suffering comes our way.

Happy birthday dear Mother! We love you.