The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8) — From Dom Guéranger’s Liturgical Year

<p>A meditation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost.</p><p><br></p><p>The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8, commemorates the birth of the Mother of God, through whom the Savior of the world would come into the flesh. Ancient Christian tradition holds that she was born to Saints Joachim and Anne after they had long remained childless, and that her birth was a special gift of divine providence in preparation for the Incarnation. The Church rejoices in her nativity as the dawn preceding the rising of the Sun of Justice, for Mary was chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of Jesus Christ and was preserved by God&#39;s grace from the beginning of her existence. Her birth therefore marks the first visible appearance of the one who would become the living temple of God and the vessel of our salvation, and it invites the faithful to rejoice with heaven at the coming of her who would bring forth the Redeemer.</p><p><br></p><p>Please note that Servant of God Dom Prosper Guéranger went to his eternal reward in 1875; at this point, Volumes I-IX (Advent to Pentecost Saturday) had been completed, but Volumes X-XV (Trinity Sunday to Advent) had not yet been completed. Thus, the remaining readings of the Liturgical Year, from Trinity Sunday until Advent, were not directly authored by Dom Prosper, but were the work of his disciple Dom Lucien Fromage. </p><p><br></p><p>Dom Prosper Guéranger&#39;s The Liturgical Year, a monumental fifteen-volume work, offers a comprehensive exploration of the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar, guiding readers through the spiritual and historical richness of the Church’s worship. Written in the 19th century, the series provides daily meditations, historical context, and liturgical texts for the Mass and Divine Office, covering the entire cycle of seasons—Advent, Christmas, Lent, Passiontide, Easter, and the Time after Pentecost—as well as feast days of saints. Guéranger’s work, rooted in a deep contemplative spirit, aims to immerse the faithful in the Church’s prayerful life, emphasizing the unity of faith through the axiom lex orandi, lex credendi (&quot;the law of prayer is the law of belief&quot;), and remains a cherished resource for Catholics seeking to deepen their spiritual lives. </p><p><br></p><p>Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805–1875) was a French Benedictine monk, liturgical scholar, and founder of the Solesmes Abbey, renowned for his pivotal role in reviving the Benedictine Order in France and restoring the Roman liturgy after the disruptions of the French Revolution. Born in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, he entered the priesthood in 1827 and, inspired by a vision to restore monastic life, reestablished the Benedictine community at Solesmes in 1833, becoming its first abbot. A staunch defender of ultramontanism and traditional Catholic worship, he also championed the revival of Gregorian chant, significantly influencing the liturgical renewal movement.</p><p><br></p><p>Link to the Dom Guéranger&#39;s Liturgical Year playlist (updated daily): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZKdyYnV_bkh7rH6piW0ShgsdcefFoOvJ</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>If you would like to support this channel: </p><p><br></p><p> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/InprincipioPodcast</p><p> PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=U5EZ9X2CE2V7W</p><p> Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/InPrincipioPodcast</p><p> Zelle: inprincipiopodcast@gmail.com; or search for Zelle tag “inprincipiopodcast” </p><p> Checks may be written out to ‘InPrincipio Podcast’ and mailed to: P.O. Box 117 Cedar Ridge, CA 95924</p><p><br></p><p>Sincere thanks to all who are able to contribute, by your prayers, your patronage, or otherwise. Your support sustains this work and helps make these readings available to others.</p><p><br></p><p>Artwork: “Birth of the Virgin” by Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari (1654–1727)</p><p