Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Matthew (1: 18-23) which tells how Jesus Christ came to be born.

Today we celebrate the feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Fr Paul says it is traditionally held on this date as it is exactly 9 months since Mary’s immaculate conception on 8 December. Mary’s infancy and early life is not recorded in the Bible but other documents and traditions describing these events and her life are cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the 1st Century.

St Augustine described the birth of Mary in this way: ‘It was an event of cosmic and historic significance and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus’.

So, on this day, as we celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary, Fr Paul says we ask her to pray for us.