Mary
in Christian Tradition
Other Feasts
of Mary
The major feasts
of Mary and feasts of our Lord in which she has a special place present
the essential teaching of the Church about her.
Mary is also honored
in other feasts, some ancient and others of more recent origin.The feasts
of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Presentation in the
Temple arose from stories and celebrations of the early Jerusalem church.
Other feasts of Mary, like the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, celebrate
more recent appearances and devotions.
One should remember
that the Catholic Church's approval of apparitions, like Lourdes, or
of private revelations, like devotion to the Miraculous Medal, is not
an infallible confirmation of their historical truth. Rather it is an
assertion by the Church, after investigation, that this special place
or way of venerating Mary can bring spiritual nourishment to those who
are drawn to it. These signs encourage people to prayer, penance and
the celebration of sacraments.
"Even
when a 'private revelation' has spread to the entire world, as in
the case of Our Lady of Lourdes, and has been recognized in the liturgical
calendar, the Church does not make mandatory the acceptance either
of the original story or of particular forms of piety springing from
it. " (Behold
Your Mother, NCCB 100)
The Birth of
the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8)
Three important
births are celebrated in the Roman calendar: the birth of Jesus, of
Mary, and of John the Baptist. (June 24) Mary's birth has been celebrated
from ancient times, though her birthplace or time of birth are not mentioned
in scripture. As far back as the 5th century a church was built on the
traditional site of her birth in Jerusalem on the site of the pool of
Bethsaida, (John 5,1-9) near the Temple and a feast in honor of Mary's
birth was celebrated. (see p ) By the 8th century the feast was celebrated
in the Church of Rome.
The family record
of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Matthew is the principal reading
for this feast. (Matthew 1,1-23)The list of generations finds its completion
in Mary. "It was of her that Jesus who is called the Messiah was born."
Like a shining star, her birth prepares for the dawn of the Savior.
She is the culmination of a long line of people who prepared for the
Word to become flesh.
The Presentation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary (November 21)
The present memorial
of Mary's presentation in the Temple as a child originated in Jerusalem
at the church built there in her honor. It celebrates Mary's dedication
to God. (see p ) The feast became popular in the western church in religious
communities, where members renewed their vows on this day, remembering
the one who called herself "the maidservant of the Lord."
Dedication
of St. Mary Major (August 5)
This optional memorial
celebrates the dedication of the great church of St. Mary Major, built
in Rome after the Council of Ephesus in 431 (illustrated above from
a pilgrim map of 1571). A small chapel inside was built to resemble
the grotto of Bethlehem; thus, the church has been called "Bethlehem
in Rome". Still one of the main churches of the Eternal City, the
church was built to honor Mary as the Mother of God and reflected the
growing devotion to her among Christians everywhere. One of the great
icons of Mary is revered in this ancient Roman Church. It has been carried
through the city in solemn procession on occasions of plague and danger.
Our Lady of
Mount Carmel (July 16)
The feast, an
optional celebration, was originally celebrated by the Carmelite order
in Europe in the Middle Ages.(see p ) It was first listed in the Roman
calendar in 1726
Our Lady of
the Rosary (October 7)
Originally this
feast was celebrated in thanksgiving for Mary's intercession, after
the defeat on October 7,1571 of Turkish naval forces that threatened
Europe. Today the feast is a special remembrance of the spiritual power
of the Rosary. (see p)
Our Lady of
Sorrows (September 15)
Christians of
the Middle Ages and later centuries developed a lively devotion to Mary
in her sorrows, which were foretold by the old man, Simeon, when she
brought the Child Jesus into the Temple. (Luke 9.23) As the first disciple
of her Son, she entered into his paschal mystery; her motherhood matured
and took new form as she accepted her part of his cross.
In fact, Mary
is a model for Christians who wish to follow the words of Jesus, "Take
up your cross each day and follow me." We seek in her faith
support for our own. Over the centuries her sorrows are remembered in
various feasts and by devotions that influenced some of the great works
of Christian art, such as the Pieta and the Stabat Mater.
In the western
church, religious orders, especially the Order of Servites, promoted
devotion to the Sorrowful Mother.
Traditionally,
seven sorrows are ascribed to her:
- Mary hears
the prophecy of sorrow from Simeon.
- Mary flees with the Child into
Egypt.
- Mary experiences the loss of the Child Jesus in Jerusalem.
- Mary meets her Son on the road to Calvary.
- Mary stands beneath
the cross of Jesus.
- Mary receives the body of Jesus taken down from
the cross.
- Mary sees her Son's body placed in the tomb.
Today the feast
of Our Lady of Sorrows is celebrated the day after the feast of the
Holy Cross.
 The
Queenship of Mary (August 22)
In the Old Testament,
royal titles are commonly given to God and those specially anointed
by God. Titles of royalty were given to Jesus and Mary from earliest
times by Christians as signs of the special power they possessed. In
prayers and hymns like the Salve Regina and the Regina Coeli, Mary,
the Mother of Jesus, is called Queen. (At right: Fra Angelico's depiction
of the crowning of Mary)
Instituted in
1955, this feast follows the feast of the Assumption, as it points to
Mary's privileged place in heaven. Mary "was taken up body and soul
into heavenly glory when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the
Lord as Queen over all things." (Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium 59)
Our Lady of
Guadalupe (December 12)
Under the title
of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mary is honored as "the patroness of the Americas."
The feast originated in the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to Juan
Diego, a humble Mexican worker, in 1521.
Our Lady of
Lourdes (February 11)
Pope Pius X included
the feast of our Lady of Lourdes in the Roman calendar in 1908, just
50 years after the report of Mary's apparitions at the grotto of Massabielle
near Lourdes, in France. There Mary identified herself as the Immaculate
Conception.
Immaculate
Heart of Mary (Saturday after the Feast of the Sacred Heart)
Closely related
to the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the optional memorial of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary was instituted in 1942. The feast honors
Mary who treasured the mysteries of Jesus and "pondered them in her
heart."
Other feasts
and times dedicated to Mary
Besides the feasts
of Mary in the Roman calendar, she is honored in the particular calendars
of various rites, nations, regions and religious communities.
Since the 18th
century, the calendar months of May and October have been devoted to
Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. Originating in Spain and Italy, where
Mary was honored with "May Devotions", litanies, the rosary and other
special prayers, the practice, spread worldwide.
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