One day our novice director told us that the Scripture readings for the Mass on our birthday hold a gift for us: a special message from God. My heart sank. My birthday is the feast of St. Martha, so I assumed that each year God would scold, “Stop working so hard, Kathleen, and pay more attention to me.” Only later at Mass on my birthday did I discover that the first reading was “When I found your words, I devoured them. They became my joy and the happiness of my heart.” (Jeremiah) A nice surprise! This is the verse I always used to begin my talks on Scripture. In addition it sums up my life as I speak and write on the word of God.

At a retreat I gave for DREs, I shared this story. Some retreatants couldn’t wait for their birthday to roll around. They immediately looked in the Lectionary for the readings of their birthday. At the end of the retreat, Maryann, the diocesan director, reported that her message was especially poignant. She was her grandmother’s oldest grandchild and had a special bond with her. When her grandmother died, she left Maryann a letter. In it the grandmother quoted a Scripture verse. It was the very one that Maryann had found in her birthday reading.

When sending a card of congratulations for the birth of a baby, you might include a copy of the readings on the baby’s birthday and explain why you sent it.

Is this superstitious? Not if you believe in the power of God’s word.

How has God spoken to you through Scripture?