Our Lady's Birthday
08/September/2007 Filed in:
JottingsThe Church celebrates the birthdays of only two saints: Mary and John the Baptist. The feastdays of both are filled with joy and light. St Augustine calls Mary the ground that brings forth Christ, the sweet-smelling Lily of the Valley, while St Bernard, most lyrical of all the Fathers, uses the lovely image of the aquaduct to describe her. She is not herself the Fountain of Life but conveys the waters to us in limpid, bubbling joy. The autumn crocus, sometimes called the Naked Lady, is named for her, its delicate purple flower smiling the wide smile of the very young.