Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Lectionary: 690A
Lectionary: 690A
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people,
and he will dwell among you,
and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,
and he will again choose Jerusalem.
Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!
For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people,
and he will dwell among you,
and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,
and he will again choose Jerusalem.
Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!
For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
God's temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed."
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed."
Responsorial
PsalmJUDITH 13:18BCDE, 19
R. (15:9d) You are
the highest honor of our race.
Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
From you rose the sun of justice, Christ our Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
From you rose the sun of justice, Christ our Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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.
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.
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."
And Mary said:
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior."
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."
And Mary said:
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior."
Meditation: "For with God nothing will be
impossible"
Do you want to live a grace-filled life? The angel Gabriel
salutes Mary as "full of grace". To become the mother of the Savior,
Mary was enriched by God with gifts to enable her to assume this awesome role.
There is a venerable tradition among many Christians, dating back to the early
church, for honoring Mary as the spotless virgin who bore the Son of God in her
womb. A number of early church fathers link Mary's obedience to this singular
grace of God. "Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for
herself and for the whole human race... The knot of Eve's disobedience was
untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief,
Mary loosened by her faith" (from Adv. haeres 3.22.4, by Irenaeus,
bishop of Lyons, 130-200 AD).
Faith is the key that unlock's the power of God's
kingdom in our lives
What is the key that can unlock the power and grace of God’s kingdom in our personal lives? Faith and obedience for sure! When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they immediately experienced the consequence of their action - separation from the God who loved them. God in his mercy promised them a Redeemer who would pay the price for their sin and the sin of the world. We see the marvelous unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the events leading up to the Incarnation, the birth of the Messiah. Mary's prompt response of "yes" to the divine message is a model of faith for all believers. Mary believed God's promises even when they seemed impossible. She was full of grace because she trusted that what God said was true and would be fulfilled. She was willing and eager to do God's will, even if it seemed difficult or costly.
What is the key that can unlock the power and grace of God’s kingdom in our personal lives? Faith and obedience for sure! When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they immediately experienced the consequence of their action - separation from the God who loved them. God in his mercy promised them a Redeemer who would pay the price for their sin and the sin of the world. We see the marvelous unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the events leading up to the Incarnation, the birth of the Messiah. Mary's prompt response of "yes" to the divine message is a model of faith for all believers. Mary believed God's promises even when they seemed impossible. She was full of grace because she trusted that what God said was true and would be fulfilled. She was willing and eager to do God's will, even if it seemed difficult or costly.
God gives us the grace to say "yes" to his
will and to his transforming work in our lives
God gives us grace and he expects us to respond with the same willingness, obedience, and heart-felt trust as Mary did. When God commands he also gives the grace, strength, and means to respond. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. Do you believe in God's promises and do you yield to his grace?
God gives us grace and he expects us to respond with the same willingness, obedience, and heart-felt trust as Mary did. When God commands he also gives the grace, strength, and means to respond. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. Do you believe in God's promises and do you yield to his grace?
"Heavenly Father, you offer us abundant grace, mercy,
and forgiveness through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to live a
grace-filled life as Mary did by believing in your promises and by giving you
my unqualified "yes" to your will and to your plan for my life."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Mary
conceives the Creator of all things, by an anonymous early author from the
Greek church
"Gabriel flew down from the vault of heaven and came to
Nazareth; standing before the virgin Mary, he cried to her, 'Rejoice! You shall
conceive a son more ancient than Adam, the Creator of all things and Savior of
those who cry to you. Rejoice, pure virgin!' Gabriel brought from heaven good
tidings to the Virgin, and he cried out to her, 'Rejoice! You shall conceive
him whom the world cannot contain; he shall be contained within your womb. You
shall bear him who shone forth from the Father before the morning star!' (Psalm
110:3).
"The co-eternal Word of the Father who has no
beginning, not being parted from the things on high, has now descended here
below, in his boundless love taking pity on fallen humankind. He has assumed
the poverty of Adam, clothing himself in a form strange to him." (excerpt
from STICHERA OF THE ANNUNCIATION)
FEAST OF OUR
LADY OF GUADALUPE (USA)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, LUKE 1:26-38
(Zechariah 2:14-17 or Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; Psalm: Luke 1)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, LUKE 1:26-38
(Zechariah 2:14-17 or Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; Psalm: Luke 1)
KEY VERSE: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God" (v 30).
TO KNOW: In Luke’s gospel, the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist is paralleled with that of the birth of Jesus. Gabriel proclaimed the divine message to Mary (Hebrew, Miryam, "the exalted one"), a young girl who lived in the insignificant village of Nazareth. Mary was told that she would bear the "Son of the Most High" (v 32) who would inherit the eternal reign promised to King David (2 Sm 7:16). The child was to be named Jesus (Hebrew, Yeshua), a name that implied his mission: "Yahweh saves." Mary was given a sign to prove that "nothing was impossible with God" (v 37). Her kinswoman Elizabeth had conceived a son in her old age. In her Magnifcat, Mary extoled God's mercy and her faith in God's promise. She was God's handmaid, accepting whatever God desired of her. However, the angel did not tell Mary that her son would suffer and die. Luke says, “Then the angel departed from her. (Lk 1:38c). Mary would have to live in faith, doing God’s will as her son would do.
TO LOVE: Can I say with Mary, "Be it done unto me according to your will"?
TO SERVE: Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray that my heart will be open to God's plan for my life.
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
The Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to a 55 year old man named Juan Diego on December 9, 1531. She sent him to Bishop Zumárraga asking that a chapel be built where she stood. The bishop did not immediately believe the messenger, and he finally told him to ask the lady for a sign. Juan Diego readily agreed. Mary, who said she was the mother of God, told Juan to gather roses, although he knew it was neither the time nor the place for roses. Placing the flowers in his tilma, a long cloak worn by Mexican Indians, he went to the Bishop. As he unfolded his cloak the roses fell to the ground. Juan was startled to see the bishop and his attendants kneeling before him. The life size figure of the Virgin Mother, just as Juan had described her, was glowing on the tilma. Pope Benedict XIV decreed that Our Lady of Guadalupe should be the national patron of Mexico, and made 12 December her feast. Pope John Paul II later named her the Patron of all the Americas.
The Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to a 55 year old man named Juan Diego on December 9, 1531. She sent him to Bishop Zumárraga asking that a chapel be built where she stood. The bishop did not immediately believe the messenger, and he finally told him to ask the lady for a sign. Juan Diego readily agreed. Mary, who said she was the mother of God, told Juan to gather roses, although he knew it was neither the time nor the place for roses. Placing the flowers in his tilma, a long cloak worn by Mexican Indians, he went to the Bishop. As he unfolded his cloak the roses fell to the ground. Juan was startled to see the bishop and his attendants kneeling before him. The life size figure of the Virgin Mother, just as Juan had described her, was glowing on the tilma. Pope Benedict XIV decreed that Our Lady of Guadalupe should be the national patron of Mexico, and made 12 December her feast. Pope John Paul II later named her the Patron of all the Americas.
HANUKKAH
BEGINS AT SUNSET
The Jewish feast of Hanukkah begins on the 25 day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, and lasts for eight days. Many people think of Hanukkah as "the Jewish Christmas," but the two holidays have nothing to do with each other, except that they're celebrated at roughly the same time of year. The Hanukkah story involves a group of warriors led by Judas Maccabeus. In 164 BC they drove the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed and purified the temple, which had been desecrated. According to a story in the Talmud, when the Maccabees retook the Temple, they found only enough oil to light the menorah (the eight branched candelabrum) for one night. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight nights. The Temple was rededicated, and the Jews celebrated the miracle with an eight-day festival (1 Mc 4:36-59).
Tuesday 12
December 2017
Advent Season of Creation. Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Isaiah 40:1-11. Psalm 95(96):1-3, 10-13. Matthew 18:12-14.
The Lord, our God, comes in strength — Psalm 95(96):1-3, 10-13.
The image of God as a shepherd is simple and yet profound.
Jesus talks about one sheep out of one hundred getting lost.
These days we might be inclined to say that one percent of the livestock failed
our expectations. But Jesus was never one for statistics. One sheep is an
individual with a name and a history and a place in the world. One percent is a
dot on a graph and possibly a point in an argument. Loving a percentage is
hard.
When Pope Francis speaks about the environment in his
encyclical, Laudato Si, he pays respect to all the wisdom and knowledge that
comes to us from science. He asks us to love with our heads as well as our
hearts. We might fall in love with a beautiful green garden, but if we know
that it is taking water from people who need it for crops that keep them alive,
we may think differently.
Even so, Francis asks us to follow the example of his patron, St
Francis, and ‘transcend the language of mathematics and biology.’ He asks us to
share the joyful living of ‘a mystic and pilgrim who lived in simplicity and
wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself.’ He
believes all these things go hand in hand.
The readings today are about such harmony and connection. The
prophet Isaiah is especially dramatic. He speaks of a voice coming in the
wilderness, a highway opening through the desert, mountains being filled in and
cliffs being levelled. And where does all this lead? It ends with the tender
image of a God who doesn’t take pleasure in power for its own sake. Rather, he
is like a shepherd who gathers lambs in his arms, ‘holding them against his
breast’, creating a bond of heart to heart. He brings mother ewes to their
rest.
Recently, I happened to be in a major hardware warehouse, one of
the big green sheds that always sells sausages outside on a Saturday morning. I
needed something from aisle 64. On the way, I noticed a middle-aged couple
trying every type of chainsaw and powered brush cutter available. They were
talking about trees that needed to be cut out of their way and bush trimmed
down to size. I didn’t hang around long enough to hear the reasons. But soon I
was in the garden section where a younger couple was looking at punnets of
seedlings, gently touching their leaves, wondering if they’d get enough sun.
There was a touch of Advent in that scene, the hope that growth comes from
fragile beginnings and that we are called to work with the Creator.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to Saint Juan
Diego, a poor Indian from Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City. She
identified herself as the Mother of the True God and instructed him to have the
bishop build a church on the site and left an image of herself imprinted
miraculously on his tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth. The tilma should have
deteriorated within 20 years but shows no sign of decay after over 470 years.
To this day it defies all scientific explanations of its origin.
Apparently the tilma, in the eyes of Our Lady of Guadalupe, reflects what was in front of her in 1531! Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua," a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language.
There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.
An incredible list of miracles, cures, and interventions are attributed to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Each year an estimated 10 million people visit her Basilica, making her Mexico City home the most popular Marian shrine in the world, and the most visited Catholic church in the world after Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Altogether 24 popes have officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. His Holiness Blessed John Paul II visited her Sanctuary four times: on his first apostolic trip outside Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999 and 2002.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th. In 1999, Blessed John Paul II, in his homily given during the Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, his third visit to the sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole continent. During the same visit Pope John Paul II entrusted the cause of life to her loving protection, and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born.
Patronage: Americas, Central America, diocese of Colorado Springs Colorado, diocese of Corpus Christi Texas, diocese of Dodge City, Kansas, Estremadura Spain, diocese of Gallup New Mexico, Mexico, diocese of Nashville Tennessee, New Mexico, New World, diocese of Orange California, diocese of Phoenix Arizona, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, diocese of Sacramento, California, diocese of Sioux City Iowa, Spain.
Source: Sancta.org
Apparently the tilma, in the eyes of Our Lady of Guadalupe, reflects what was in front of her in 1531! Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua," a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language.
There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.
An incredible list of miracles, cures, and interventions are attributed to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Each year an estimated 10 million people visit her Basilica, making her Mexico City home the most popular Marian shrine in the world, and the most visited Catholic church in the world after Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Altogether 24 popes have officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. His Holiness Blessed John Paul II visited her Sanctuary four times: on his first apostolic trip outside Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999 and 2002.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th. In 1999, Blessed John Paul II, in his homily given during the Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, his third visit to the sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole continent. During the same visit Pope John Paul II entrusted the cause of life to her loving protection, and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born.
Patronage: Americas, Central America, diocese of Colorado Springs Colorado, diocese of Corpus Christi Texas, diocese of Dodge City, Kansas, Estremadura Spain, diocese of Gallup New Mexico, Mexico, diocese of Nashville Tennessee, New Mexico, New World, diocese of Orange California, diocese of Phoenix Arizona, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, diocese of Sacramento, California, diocese of Sioux City Iowa, Spain.
Source: Sancta.org
LECTIO DIVINA: OUR LADY OF
GUADALUPE (LK1: 26-38)
Lectio Divina:
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
1) Opening
prayer
God
of the poor and the humble,
we thank you today for choosing Mary
as the Virgin Mother of Jesus, your Son.
Her faith and willing service
opened the way to your new world.
Dispose us to seek your will
and to cooperate with your plans,
that we too, like Mary,
may give to the world its Saviour,
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.
we thank you today for choosing Mary
as the Virgin Mother of Jesus, your Son.
Her faith and willing service
opened the way to your new world.
Dispose us to seek your will
and to cooperate with your plans,
that we too, like Mary,
may give to the world its Saviour,
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading – Luke 1, 26-38
In
the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called
Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David;
and the virgin's name was Mary.
He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.' She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'
Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.'
Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.
He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.' She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'
Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.'
Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.
3) Reflection
•
The visit of the Angel to Mary reminds us of the visit of God to different
women of the Old Testament: Sarah, mother of Isaac (Gen 18, 9-15), Anne, mother
of Samuel (1 Sam 1, 9-18), the mother of Samson (Jg 13, 2-5). To all of them
was announced the birth of a son with an important mission in the realization
of God’s plan.
• The account begins with the expression “in the sixth month”. It is the sixth month of the pregnancy of Elizabeth. The concrete need of Elizabeth, a woman advanced in age who is expecting her first son with the risk of delivery, this is the background of all this episode. Elizabeth is mentioned at the beginning (Lk 1, 26) and at the end of the visit of the angel (Lk 1, 36.39).
• The angel says: “Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour, the Lord is with you”!. Similar words were said also to Moses (Ex 3, 12), to Jeremiah (Jer 1, 8), to Gideon (Jg 6, 12) and to other persons with an important mission in God’s plan. Mary is surprised at the greeting and tries to understand the significance of those words. She is realistic. She wants to understand. She does not accept just any inspiration.
• The angel answers: “Do not be afraid!” Just as it happened in the visit of the angel to Zechariah, here also the first greeting of God is always: “Do not be afraid!”. Immediately the angel recalls the promises of the past which will be fulfilled thanks to the son who will be born and who has to receive the name of Jesus. He will be called the Son of the Most High and in him will be realized the Kingdom of God. This is the explanation of the angel in such a way that Mary is not afraid.
• Mary is aware of, knows the mission which she is about to receive, but she continues to be realistic. She does not allow herself to be drawn by the greatness of the offer, and observes her condition. She analyses the offer according to certain criteria which she has available. Humanly speaking, it was not possible: “But how can this come about, I have no knowledge of man?”
• The angel explains that the Holy Spirit, present in God’s Word since the Creation (Genesis 1, 2), is capable to realize things which seem impossible. This is why, the Holy One who will be born from Mary will be called Son of God. The miracle repeats itself up until today. When the Word of God is accepted by the poor, something new happens, thanks to the force of the Holy Spirit! Something new and surprising such as a son is born of a virgin or a son is born to a woman of advanced age, like Elizabeth, of whom all said that she was barren, that she could not have children! And the angel adds: “See, your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God”.
• The response of the angel clarifies everything for Mary, and she surrenders: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word”. Mary uses for herself the title of Servant, Handmaid of the Lord. This title of Isaiah, which represents the mission of the people not as a privilege, but rather as a service to the other people (Is 42, 1-9; 49, 3-6). Later Jesus will define his mission as a service: “I have not come to be served, but to serve!” (Mt 20, 28). He learnt this from his Mother!
• The account begins with the expression “in the sixth month”. It is the sixth month of the pregnancy of Elizabeth. The concrete need of Elizabeth, a woman advanced in age who is expecting her first son with the risk of delivery, this is the background of all this episode. Elizabeth is mentioned at the beginning (Lk 1, 26) and at the end of the visit of the angel (Lk 1, 36.39).
• The angel says: “Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour, the Lord is with you”!. Similar words were said also to Moses (Ex 3, 12), to Jeremiah (Jer 1, 8), to Gideon (Jg 6, 12) and to other persons with an important mission in God’s plan. Mary is surprised at the greeting and tries to understand the significance of those words. She is realistic. She wants to understand. She does not accept just any inspiration.
• The angel answers: “Do not be afraid!” Just as it happened in the visit of the angel to Zechariah, here also the first greeting of God is always: “Do not be afraid!”. Immediately the angel recalls the promises of the past which will be fulfilled thanks to the son who will be born and who has to receive the name of Jesus. He will be called the Son of the Most High and in him will be realized the Kingdom of God. This is the explanation of the angel in such a way that Mary is not afraid.
• Mary is aware of, knows the mission which she is about to receive, but she continues to be realistic. She does not allow herself to be drawn by the greatness of the offer, and observes her condition. She analyses the offer according to certain criteria which she has available. Humanly speaking, it was not possible: “But how can this come about, I have no knowledge of man?”
• The angel explains that the Holy Spirit, present in God’s Word since the Creation (Genesis 1, 2), is capable to realize things which seem impossible. This is why, the Holy One who will be born from Mary will be called Son of God. The miracle repeats itself up until today. When the Word of God is accepted by the poor, something new happens, thanks to the force of the Holy Spirit! Something new and surprising such as a son is born of a virgin or a son is born to a woman of advanced age, like Elizabeth, of whom all said that she was barren, that she could not have children! And the angel adds: “See, your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God”.
• The response of the angel clarifies everything for Mary, and she surrenders: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word”. Mary uses for herself the title of Servant, Handmaid of the Lord. This title of Isaiah, which represents the mission of the people not as a privilege, but rather as a service to the other people (Is 42, 1-9; 49, 3-6). Later Jesus will define his mission as a service: “I have not come to be served, but to serve!” (Mt 20, 28). He learnt this from his Mother!
4) Reflection
•
What struck you the most in the visit of the Angel Gabriel to Mary?
• Jesus praises his Mother when he says: “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it” (Lk 11, 28). How does Mary relate to the Word of God during the visit of the Angel?
• Jesus praises his Mother when he says: “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it” (Lk 11, 28). How does Mary relate to the Word of God during the visit of the Angel?
5) Concluding Prayer
To
Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains,
the world and all who live there;
it is he who laid its foundations on the seas,
on the flowing waters fixed it firm. (Ps 24,1-2)
the world and all who live there;
it is he who laid its foundations on the seas,
on the flowing waters fixed it firm. (Ps 24,1-2)
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