# Celebrating Mary’s Nativity and Praying for Those in Hurricane Irma’s Path
*2017-09-08*

> Bill Young reflects on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, shares the looming threat of Hurricane Irma in South Florida, and leads a prayer to Our Lady of Loretto for protection and peace.

## The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Good afternoon, I’m Bill Young. Today, September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary—her birthday. The Franciscan reflection we read says that every human birth is a call to new hope. The love of two parents joins with God’s creative work, and the newborn becomes a channel of God’s love and peace. In Mary we see a foreshadowing of that love; if Jesus is the perfect expression of God’s love, Mary prefigures it. Her birth, second only to Christ’s, offers the greatest possibility of joy for the world. Each time we honor her birth we can hope for greater peace in our hearts and in the world.

## Hurricane Irma Approaches

Turning to the news, South Florida is under a hurricane warning. Irma is moving north of Cuba and may head west, with forecasts ranging from Category 1 to Category 4. We have about 36 hours before the storm arrives. My prayer is simple: trust in God’s will and have faith that He will guide us through whatever comes. We pray for all who are in the path of this tremendous hurricane—may they be kept safe.

A tragic accident occurred nearby in Davie, Florida: a man installing hurricane panels fell from a ladder and died. It reminds us that life is fragile and that we must be ready when God calls.

## Mass, the Rosary, and the Prayer to Our Lady of Loretto

Because our parish was closed for the weekend, my wife and I attended Mass at another church. We tried to pray the Rosary, but the lights were turned off before we could finish, so I will continue the rosary on my own.

Today is also a day to pray the Prayer to Our Lady of Loretto, traditionally recited on four days of the year, including September 8. Here is the prayer as I prayed it:

“​O Mary of Loretto, glorious Virgin, we approach you with confidence and humbly offer our prayers. Troubled by grave evils, we seek peace, justice, truth, and love. You carried the Divine Savior in a pure womb and lived with Him in the holy house on the hill of Loretto. Grant us the grace to follow His example and attain salvation.

May every son learn obedience, every woman humility, and every man faith, so that families become sacred homes of love. May we, the faithful, imitate your devotion to your Son in daily life.

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, our hope…​”

(Full text follows the traditional form, invoking Mary as our advocate and asking for protection for the universal Church, families, and especially those in the hurricane’s path.)

## Closing Prayer and Blessing

We concluded with the traditional “Hail Holy Queen” and a personal invocation to Our Lady of Loretto for protection, healing, and assistance in the hour of death. I asked God to bless all my friends, especially the Legion of Mary members in South Florida, and to keep safe everyone in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Cuba. May Our Heavenly Mother watch over them.

God bless you all.

*In every storm, we are called to place our trust in God’s loving providence.*