Gospel in Art: Feast of the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Scenes from the Life of the Virgin: The Birth of the Virgin, fresco by Giotto di Bondone 1306 © Cappella Scrovegni, Padua

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 8 September 2025
Matthew 1:18-23

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.'

All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Emmanuel' - which means, God with us.

Reflection on the Fresco Painting

Today we celebrate the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Normally, the Church commemorates the dates of a saint's death: their entrance into eternal life. Yet with Jesus, Mary and with Saint John the Baptist, we also mark their births in the Liturgical Calendar. This is because they each had a unique role in salvation history, and their holiness was present even before they were born. Mary, through her Immaculate Conception, was free from the stain of sin from the first moment of her existence. John, we are told in Luke's Gospel, leapt for joy in Elizabeth's womb and was "filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth" (Luke 1:15). Jesus existed since the beginning of time, before he was born into this world. Their very births point to God's extraordinary plan unfolding in the world.

Our fresco by Giotto, from the Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel) in Padua, brings this mystery to life with gentle intimacy. Giotto places the Birth of the Virgin in a small domestic room, echoing his earlier fresco of the Annunciation to Anne set in the very same house. Saint Anne sits upright in bed, arms outstretched to receive her daughter, swaddled and carried by a nursemaid. In a striking touch, the infant Mary appears a second time in front of the bed, radiant with a halo identical to her mother's, a sign of her shared sanctity. The absence of walls or exterior details makes the scene timeless and open, inviting us not to observe from a distance but to step inside the room, to share in the wonder of this sacred birth.

Saint Augustine once reflected that Mary's birth was no ordinary event, but a moment of cosmic significance. Her arrival foretold the coming of Christ, the Saviour she would one day bear. "She is the flower of the field," he wrote, "from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley." Today we give thanks for the gift of Mary's life, which brought forth the life of Jesus for the world. May her birth remind us that every new life is a sign of hope, and may her intercession lead us always closer to her Son.

A happy and blessed feast day to you all!

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-1-18-23-2025/