The Virginal Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ(2022-12-25)

Introduction

Tonight, since we are celebrating Christmas, I would like to talk about the virginal birth of Jesus.

1. The Virginal Birth

The Virginal Birth of Jesus means that Jesus came out of the Blessed Virgin Mary's womb without breaking her virginal seal. Mary gave birth to Jesus while remaining absolutely a virgin. The Fathers of the Church have used several comparisons to help us understand this reality. Jesus came out of the sealed womb of Mary as He came out of the tomb without removing the stone at the time of his Resurrection. He came out of the sealed womb of Mary as He went in and out the cenacle, all the doors being closed. Jesus came out of Mary's womb like a ray of sunlight passing through a crystal, without breaking it.

2. No childbirth pains but sublime joy

As a consequence of her Virginal childbirth, Mary did not suffer the pains of childbirth. Here is what St. Thomas says. "The pains of childbirth are caused by the distortion of the organs through which the child comes out of the womb. But the infant Jesus came out of the sealed womb of Mary. There was no violence caused on her organs. So, this childbirth did not involve any pain, nor any physical injury”. (ST IIIa Q.35 a.6). On the contrary, Our Lady was filled with a sublime joy because God made man was being born in the world. 

3. Sources of the Revelation

A virginal birth is not naturally possible. A child coming out of the womb according to natural laws would necessarily break the virginal seal. So, it was a miracle. How do we know about it? Because God who made this miracle, revealed it to us. And where is this Revelation to be found? In Holy Scripture and Tradition, as always. In the Holy Scripture, the Prophet Isaiah said: "A virgin shall conceive and bear a son" (Is 7; 14). This meant obviously that a virgin woman would give birth to a son while remaining a virgin. If not, such statement would mean nothing unusual and therefore would be useless. St. Matthew and St. Luke in their Gospels explicitly apply this prophecy of Isaiah to Mary and Jesus. Moreover, according to St. Luke, the Blessed Virgin Mary herself "brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger" (Lk 2:7). It reveals that there was no midwife at Jesus’ birth and that Mary did not suffer the pains of childbirth. She could take care of her Son immediately after His birth.

 

The revelation of Jesus’ virginal birth is also to be found in Tradition, that is to say the teaching of Jesus to the Apostles and then faithfully passed on throughout History by the Popes and Bishops until now. For example, already in 390, Pope Siricius wrote about the Blessed Virgin Mary: “This is the virgin who conceived in her womb and as a virgin bore a son.”

4. Appropriateness

We know about the virginal birth of Jesus by Revelation. However, reflecting upon it, we can see how appropriate it was for Jesus to be born in this manner. It matches with what Jesus is in the Holy Trinity. Indeed, Jesus is the Word of God. He is begotten of God the Father without causing Him any alteration, somehow like an idea coming out of our mind without altering it. Similarly, Jesus was born on earth of a virgin without causing her any alteration.

Also, by His virginal birth, Jesus wanted to give us a striking example of honoring our parents by granting Her an exceptional privilege. Indeed, because of the virginal birth of Jesus, Mary has become at the same time a virgin and a mother. She has the glory of virginity and the dignity of motherhood.

Conclusion

Dear Faithful, tonight, first let us praise Our Lord Jesus and thank Him for having come on earth to save us. He had no obligation to do it, but He did it out of love for us. Then let us praise Him for loving and honouring so much His Mother. And let us understand the lesson for us: if Jesus Christ, being the Son of God, has honored Mary by such privilege as her Virginal childbirth, definitely He expects us His disciples to have a special devotion to His Mother. So, tonight especially, let us also praise Our Lady for her dignity; let us renew our consecration of ourselves and family to her; and let us make a firm resolution to make her be known and loved by as many people as possible around us. 

Fr. Demornex