Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

LECTIONARY
636

FIRST READING

1 Mic 5:1-4a

The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.

PSALM

Ps 13:6ab, 6c

Response: With delight I rejoice in the Lord.

Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.

Let me sing of the LORD, “He has been good to me.”

GOSPEL

Mt 1:18-23

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”

Daily Reflection

8th September 2026

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Day of the Girl Child

It is natural for us to accept facts after the event. And this is how we receive Mary’s ‘Yes’!

But consider: here was a teenage Jewish girl well aware of the patriarchal environment in which she was raised and the stringent laws which applied. She was not accustomed to taking decisions that had not been endorsed by an elder and, if found pregnant out of wedlock, she could have been stoned to death. Though she was born sinless, chosen by God to be the mother of His son, she still had the free will that is granted to all of us. Given the possible outcome, Mary could have said ‘no’.

It is an outstanding testament to her strength of character and her implicit faith in God that she willingly placed her life unconditionally in His hands.

Today, as we celebrate the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we remember with love and gratitude her role in our salvation. Let us be reminded, too, that God has a plan for each of us. Like Mary, we have the option to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. What will our answer be?

On the Day of the Girl Child, we commend all young girls, around the world, to Our Blessed Mother’s care.