We call her our โlifeโ, โsweetnessโ, and โhopeโ. All of us call her โMamaโ an endearment that carries a lot of affection that extended beyond genetics and the bounds of time. But really, who is this โBlessed Virginโ whose nativity we celebrate today? Who is she in the life of an ordinary Josephinian?
The Mary that we came to know and love hails from Nazareth. She was offered up to the temple by her saintly parents when she was still a little girl, until the Annunciation of the Angel came. Her โYesโ to the divine will transformed the course of history. Her acceptance to be the mother of the savior was a turning point of Christianity. Although she was not an โabsoluteโ necessity, God destined her to be His own mother since the beginning of time. She is lovingly called as โthe greatest masterpieceโ that God could muster, and she truly is. And that is why because of this her perfection, God cannot suffer to watch his masterpiece to suffer the corruption of the grave, He called her back, body and soul, in the mystery of her Assumption, called by Maasinhons as their โMahal nga Patrona.โ
In the eyes and experience of a Josephinian, she is not just an intercessor during examinations, but a true mother for those who are deprived of maternal care due to distance and other reasons. This โmotherhoodโ not just to Jesus but for us, Christians, is the evidence why we call her as โthe sweetest expression of Godโs love.โ
May every โdagkotโ, each โpangamuyoโ, and every โpagtuktokโ in the glass pane of her shrine remind us that there is a mother who watches over us, who strengthens us when things fail and get out of hand, that there is someone who keeps us in her heart; loving us, claiming us as her own children. And her name is Mary.
Blessed be the hour when the world saw you, Most Blessed Mary!
Happy Birthday, Mama Mary! We love you!
#NativityOfTheBlessedVirginMary
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Words: John Russel Manlangit | The Josephinian
Photos: Manuel Francis Corollo | The Josephinian