A homily on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, showing how her birth ended long waiting and became the bridge leading to Christ our Saviour. (8-9-25)
Praise be to Jesus Christ
In a small interior village there was no bridge across the river. For years, the people longed and prayed for one. Children found it hard to reach the school, the sick could not easily go to the hospital, and even simple visits to relatives were a struggle. Life was cut in two by the river. Many petitions were written, many promises were heard, but nothing changed. One morning, a lorry arrived and unloaded a heap of stones near the riverbank. It was not yet the bridge, but the whole village rejoiced. The dream had finally begun. That first load of stone was the sign that their long waiting was ending.
The birth of Mary is like that heap of stones by the river. Humanity was waiting, longing for the Saviour. Centuries passed in hope and in silence. The prophets had spoken of Emmanuel, the one who would bring God close to His people. Yet the world still seemed cut off from heaven. When Mary was born, the first stones of the bridge were laid down. Her nativity was the sign that the waiting was ending, that God Himself was beginning to cross over into our world. Through her, the Son of God would come and make His dwelling among us.
The Gospel today recalls the prophecy of Isaiah: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means God with us.” Emmanuel is not only a name, it is a promise. A God who is far away is not enough for us. We need God with us, walking with us, sharing our life. Mary’s birth is the moment this promise took flesh. She became the bridge by which heaven and earth were joined.
Saint Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” In Mary, this glory shines. She was fully alive to the Spirit of God. Her whole being was open, simple, and clean. That is why her nativity is not just another birthday in history but the beginning of a new era. It is the dawn of salvation.
We also see this truth reflected in the Old Testament. Think of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. She waited in tears and prayer for a child. She promised that if God blessed her, she would give the child back to Him. When Samuel was born, her waiting turned into joy, and his life became a gift for the whole people of Israel. In Hannah’s story we already see the shadow of Mary. Her long waiting points to the long waiting of Israel. And just as Samuel became the prophet who prepared Israel for kingship, so Mary became the mother who prepared the way for the King of Kings.
In Abraham we saw the beginning of faith. In Moses we saw the beginning of freedom. In Hannah we saw the beginning of a new hope. But in Mary, all these beginnings find their fulfillment. Her birth is the turning point where history changes direction. She is the living bridge between the old covenant and the new.
What does this mean for us today? In our families, in our communities, and even in our religious life, there are times of waiting. Some wait for healing, others wait for peace, some wait for reconciliation or for the strength to begin again. The waiting can be long, and sometimes it feels like nothing will change. But the nativity of Mary tells us that God does not forget His people. Just as the heap of stones was the sign that the long-promised bridge was coming, so Mary’s birth is the sign that salvation is real and near.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Be only all for Jesus through Mary.” She reminds us that Mary is not the end but the way. Through her, Christ comes to us. Through her, we find the bridge that takes us from despair to hope, from waiting to fulfillment, from darkness to light.
So today we do not only celebrate the birthday of a child. We celebrate the birthday of hope, the laying of the first stone in God’s great bridge of salvation. Her birth is the end of long waiting and the beginning of Emmanuel.
Oh! Blessed Mother help us to full fill the will of God in our lives. Amen
Happy birthday Mama Mary