Mother Mary & Her Birthday

  •   Sat, Aug 30 2025
  •   By Fr Richard Mascarenhas SJ

August 30, 2025

We do not usually celebrate the birthdays of the saints. Instead we celebrate the day they died; because that is the day they were born into the joys of heaven. But the birthday of Mary, our Blessed Mother, is an exception. We do celebrate her birthday because she came into this world full of grace and she was to be the Mother of Jesus. The birth of Our Lady was like a dawn. When the sky starts to turn a rosy pink early in the morning, we know the Sun will soon come up. In the same way, when Mary was born, she brought great happiness to the world. Her birth meant that soon Jesus, the Son of peace and justice, would appear. Mary was the wonderful human being whose privilege it was to bring the Lord Jesus to all people.

Even today, if we have Mary, we have Jesus. Whoever is very devoted to her is very close to the heart of Jesus. On 08 September, we celebrate and proclaim with joy to the whole world the birth of the Virgin Mary. We can always turn to Mary for help. She is very close to the heart of Jesus. What special intention can I ask her today? The year 2025 being the year of Pilgrims of Hope, it could be apt that I ask for the gift of how I am a Pilgrim of Hope in my personal life and in the life of my family? It is by being a man and woman of prayer or by being prayerful men and women we could be the better pilgrims of hope in today’s world. Mary is the true model of prayer and a genuine pilgrim where she treasured all things in her heart (Lk 2:51) and remained obedient to God’s will.    

Vat II affirms Mary’s unique place in the mystery of salvation (LG 55-59) and the Church (LG 60-65). The NT portrait of Mary, Virgin and Mother, is both Christo-centric and ecclesiotypical. As Theotokos (ND 701), Mary responds in perfect discipleship and becomes the model of human involvement in God’s plan of salvation. The Marian dogmas reflect in the person of Mary the central truths of faith and hope and inspire the faithful to come to the love of God (LG 65) and participate in her Son’s Kingdom mission.

In the Catholic tradition of spirituality Mary holds a very significant place. After God and Christ she is considered the most important person in the whole universe. She has been declared the Queen of the human race, Queen of heaven and the Mother of the Church. Nations have been dedicated to her; decades have been called Marian Age. We have umpteen Marian shrines and places of pilgrimages. Unlike among the Protestants, the presence of Mary alongside Jesus in a very prominent manner has given Catholic piety and spirituality a certain touch and warmth, docility and personal service. (Tissa Balasuriya). Vatican II also gave a new understanding of Mary in relation to God’s plan of salvation, her discipleship. Vatican II looks at Mary with ecumenical, Christological, ecclesiological and biblical perspectives. It looks at Mary as a person who responded fully to the call of God (Lk 1:38)

In the Months of August, September and October we have many Marian feasts being celebrated and we see during this season many people going on pilgrimage to Marian shrines to experience the divine. Our Lady of Health, Harihar – Harihara Arogya Mathe is one such pilgrimage centers located at the center of Karnataka. Of course it is a shrine, a holy place and now a Minor Basilica. According to the tradition, a Brahmin with his wife and two little children lived there in an utter poverty. Due to acute poverty, his wife and children were ailing from incurable tuberculosis. Yet this poor Brahmin courageously put up with the situation.

As usual, one day early in the morning, in order to fulfill his morning duties, he got into the river Tungabhadra to have the holy dip. There, he accidently slipped, and then as he lost control of himself, he was swept along with the currents. To his great surprise, he was caught in a swirl. All that he could do was to struggle to come out of it, but to no avail. After a series of wailings and cries, he was terribly tired and thinking that his end was near and he lost the hope for life. Then all of a sudden, he saw a small wooden piece floating in the swelling river and caught hold of it. Indeed, it was the statue of Our Lady that saved him from the jaws of death.

With great joy and filled with gratitude, the Brahmin narrated the story to different people about how the statue miraculously saved him and his children from the jaws of death. He also pleaded that he would make it available for veneration for both Christians and non-Christians alike and further made a will that he would give his house and the patch of land he had for that purpose. Moved by the story, the then Collector allowed him to establish the statue in his premises. Even to this day, that place has been preserved where we find the grave of the Brahmin (that was his wish to be buried there) and a small Church known as the Darushana Degula. Even to this day, the tomb of the Brahmin remains as monumental evidence.

Every year, in memory of Our Lady and her Nativity, the feast of Our Lady of Health, Harihar is being celebrated on 8 September with great religious fervour. Thousands of people irrespective of caste, creed, language and religion visit the shrine. Reflecting its spiritual significance and the miracles attributed to the Holy Place it was raised to the title and rank of MINOR BASILICA on January 15, 2020. Today this Basilica, a beacon of faith and hope, stands as a testament to the unity and diversity of our people, drawing thousands of pilgrims irrespective of caste, language, and religion.

 

 

 

 
By Fr Richard Mascarenhas SJ
Fr Richard Mascarenhas SJ is a Jesuit priest belonging to the Karnataka Jesuit Province. Currently, he serves as the assistant parish priest at the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Health, Harihar – Karnataka (frrichiesj@gmail.com).
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