Happy Birthday Mary!

Did you know that Catholics celebrate Mother Mary’s birthday? It’s a feast day in the Catholic Church that can be made into a whole lot of fun for kids. Formally it’s called the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. A few years ago, I went all out and got an ice cream cake for Mary so we could all sing Happy Birthday to her. We unexpectedly had company that night and I will never forget the bewildered looks on the faces of my guests. I still laugh thinking about the startled looks on the faces of my guests, a few moments turned into pure joy. The evening ended up being filled with a lot of merriment, joy and laughter. I suspect my guests will never forget that Mother Mary has a birthday too.

I was reminded that same night of a brilliant homily. The priest told us that although the Bible has been translated into dozens of languages, the Bible’s most remarkable “translator” was Mary. She was chosen to translate the word of God into her ver life and to teach the precepts of God to Jesus. So jesus was taught at the school of Mary. Mothers have a tremendous responsibility to translate the word of God into their life and their children’s lives. They are a child’s primary spiritual director. We’ll all be accountable for our lives and what our children witness.

If a Hollywood film maker followed you around for a week or two, filming your life, would he see God’s word, His precepts? Hearing the priest speak about Mary the teacher got me thinking. And that’s what we all should do. Start thinking about our spiritual responsibilities as mothers.

So, the next time the Nativity of the Virgin Mary comes around, why not get a birthday cake and celebrate with your kids? Or pray the Rosary or make a couple of sacrifices and offer them to Mary as a gift. Having a birthday cake for Jesus at Christmas also makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?


This is reprinted with permission from the book, Motherhood Matters, written by Dorothy Pilarski, published by
Catholic Register Books ISBN 13: 978-0-9784389-5-1

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