The Holy Gospel according to Luke (1:26-38).
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: Today on this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrate Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her place in salvation history. Because of Jesus’ foreseen redemption, Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb, by the special grace of God, without the stain of sin that affects all of us. This feast was first observed and celebrated in the 7th century. In the mid 1500’s, the Council of Trent taught that Mary was free from sin throughout her entire life. In 1846, the bishops of the United States chose the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception to be the patroness of our young country. Our national shrine in Washington D.C. honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. 8 years later, in 1854, Pope Pius IX solemnly declared the dogma of faith that we celebrate today.
God, in his foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin Mary would consent to bear Christ, sanctified her at the moment of her conception. Throughout scripture, God calls people before they have any idea or thought they are being called. It seems logical that if God had plans and chose us before the foundation of the world and our conception, then God had plans for Mary before her conception. The plans God had for Mary were that she was going to be the mother of Jesus and bring him into this world.
In today’s Gospel we hear Mary’s “fiat” her yes to cooperating with God’s plan for salvation of the world. Mary said, “May it be done to me according to your word.” Mary placed all her faith and trust in God and did the will of God. She is the first disciple and our primary role model of what it is to be a disciple. Like Mary, we are also to put our faith and trust in God and not be afraid, to say “yes” to do God’s will in our lives.
Action for the Day: At every mass, we listen to God’s word and receive the Eucharist. On this feast day of the Immaculate Conception, may we follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and say yes to God’s will and do what the Eucharist calls us to do. We are called to bring the presence of Christ into our world, just as Mary did. Now GO in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life!
Audio Reflection:
