The birthday that matters the most

On the day this goes live, I'll have been outside of my my mother's womb for 36 years. I've been on this earth a little longer than that (because life begins at conception, abortion is murder, don't let fake "fact checkers" lie to you, whether or not a baby is a baby should NOT be up for debate).
Anyway, there's one thing that I've learned since then.
Birthdays matter.
Now, of course, sometimes you'll hear people say birthdays aren't a big deal (or weren't a big deal) in the Middle East. Yes and no. It was still important to know someone's age, but, it may not have had a day set aside to celebrate it.
But I know of one Middle Eastern birth that matters more than any other. So much so, his birthday is in The Holy Bible!
And I know this guy by name, too. Really famous Jewish guy, he was born in Bethlehem, but grew up in Nazareth.
He could have a bit of a temper (Matthew 21:12-17, John 2:13-22), but, here's the thing, he came to die for our sins.
Now, all of us will die. But, he was born to save us from our sins, but DYING for our sins. (1 John 2:1-6).
"And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; And the Holy Ghost was in him.
And he had received an answer by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,
He also took into his arms and blessed God, and said:
'Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace;
Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the fact of all peoples;
A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."
And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him.
And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: 'Behold this child is set for the fall for the ressurection of many in Israel, and a sign which shall be contradicted;
And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed'" (Matthew 2:25-35)
There's a reason I put those verses, and not the verses of his birth.
But, as it's my birthday (yep, in Lent, it was on Easter in 2008), and I get to choose what I write for the article, I want y'all to focus on this, especially with Good Friday coming, soon.
Mary was flat out told that she was going to hurt. Mary shared in the suffererings of her son.
And to be a mother and KNOW that, well, that's something.
And yes, in response to the song, yes, Mary knew. Stop asking.
But, one thing Mary can take solace in, is that her son, "Takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29).