Behold the Virgin

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, ​​​​and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” Matthew 1:23

I found it curious that we celebrate the nativity of the Virgin Mary every September 8. It’s not in the Bible but I found out that the Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. According to an apocryphal account from James, Mary’s parents were a couple named Joachim and Anna who were infertile much like the parents of St. John the Baptist. Whatever the truth, we can be sure that God chose Mary to be the mother of our Savior, and we can be sure that He also chose very special parents for her. We can’t ever choose our parents, but God could and did choose Mary for Jesus, His only begotten Son. That must mean she was exceptional in the qualities God thought essential for the woman who would bring up His Son. That was her unique mission, for inside Mary's womb, was the Word of God made flesh, the Bread of Life, and the actual and eternal High Priest. She brought Jesus into our world. 

I believe every person born into this world is special. We have unique gifts and each one of us, like Mary, is meant to be a blessing to the world. In Psalm 139, we can read, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

With the help of God, our Maker, I think part of the purpose of life is to discover our gifts, the work of life is to grow it; and we find meaning in life when we give our gift to bless others (adapted from David Viscott). We too can bring Jesus and His message into the world.