BIRTHDAYS AND OTHER NOTABLE EVENTS

A REFLECTION FOR THE NATIVITY OF OUR LADY

Today, on the anniversary of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we remember the birth of one who was born without stain of original sin.  Since our first parents committed that first sin, almost every single one of their offspring has inherited it from them, an ugly stain on their souls which only baptism can wash away.

There are three exceptions to this inherited sin, and we are very familiar with them.  Our Blessed Lord himself of course was totally free from sin by virtue of his divinity. His cousin John was freed from the stain of original sin before his birth, at the time of our Lady’s Visitation to St. Elizabeth.  And nine months after our Lady’s Immaculate Conception, when she was conceived by her own mother St. Anne without original sin, Mary was born, still unsullied by any spiritual stain.  Jesus, Mary, and St. John Baptist—the only three born without original sin, the only three whose actual birthdaythe Church celebrates with a special feast day.

What about all the other saints in heaven? When do we celebrate their feasts? The general rule is to observe their feast on the anniversary of their “birth” into eternal life, in other words, their death. Exceptions are made when two feast days would otherwise coincide and the Pope decrees another date on which to celebrate the feast.

We may legitimately wonder then, why the rest of us, give so much importance to the celebration of birthdays.  The answer is a natural one, as the anniversary of our birth is used to denote certain age-specific milestones that confer certain rights or responsibilities, such as the legal right to purchase alcohol, drive a car, marry, vote, etc.  We should acknowledge though, that there’s nothing specifically Catholic about a birthday. In most Catholic countries it was the custom instead to celebrate a child’s “name-day”, the feast of his or her patron saint.  Or often, Catholics would combine birthday and name-day by naming their children after the saint on whose feastday they were born.  Let’s not forget our customs—they’re worth preserving, and deserve at least a consideration when naming our babies.

The Church demands only that at least one of the baby’s names be that of a canonized saint, or if not, then at least a virtue like Faith or Patience, or a title of our Lady such as Mercedes or Stella.  Whatever the final decision, let’s remember that the patron saints under whose protection you place your children will be far more significant in his or her life than the numerical date on which they’re born.  Naming a child is more than just picking something that sounds cool; great care should be taken in choosing the right protector for your children’s souls, one to whom he or she will be able to find comfort and solace as they navigate the trials of life.  This way, when birthdays come around, our celebrations may be done in the full confidence that our children have a powerful helper in heaven.