Marie de Nazareth
To Jesus, through Mary
Icon of Novgorod. Nativity of the Virgin Mary.
Only three anniversaries are celebrated in the Church's liturgical calendar: the Nativity of Our Lord, the Nativity of his precursor, John the Baptist, and the Nativity of his Mother. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated every year on 8 September in most liturgies, is very important, given the fundamental role played by the Virgin Mary in the history of salvation.
"The particular Churches within the universal Church manifest the dynamism of their earthly pilgrimage and offer to all members of the community of believers a treasure of spiritual, liturgical and ecclesial traditions which bring out the universal goodness of God and his desire, verified throughout history, to bring them all into his divine life".,
said Pope Benedict XVI at St George's Greek-Melkite Catholic Cathedral in Amman, Jordan[1 ].
In the interests of openness, we present the texts of the liturgies of the other rites of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, because
"The Spirit gently moves our hearts towards humility and peace, towards mutual acceptance, understanding and cooperation"[2].
The origin of the liturgical commemoration of the Nativity of Mary is linked to the church built in thefifth century in Jerusalem, in the vicinity of the probatic pool, which, according to tradition, was the home of Joachim and Anne [Mary's parents].
Since the 6th century, the Nativity of Mary has also been celebrated in Byzantium.
The choice of 8 September could derive from the day of the dedication of this primitive church, without ruling out the possibility that the memory of Mary's birth, the dawn of the time of salvation, was placed at the beginning of September, the month that opens the Byzantine liturgical year.
In the West, the feast of 8 September was accepted by the Church of Rome during the 7th century, and this feast is one of the four Marian feasts of Eastern origin (2 February, 25 March, 15 August, 8 September).
In the Coptic rite, the Nativity of Mary is celebrated on 9 May.
The liturgical texts guide our faith, not without a sense of profound wonder. In a sober but sure way, these texts point us towards the experience of all that comes from God.
-on the Nativity of Mary in the Byzantine rite (8 September)in the Marian Encyclopaedia
-on the Nativity of Mary in the Coptic rite (1st bashans)in the Marian Encyclopaedia
-on the Nativity of Mary in the Roman rite (8 September)in the Marian Encyclopaedia
-on the Solemnities and feasts of the Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic liturgy)in the Marian Encyclopaedia
L’équipe de MDN.