December 8, 2025
Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 689
Reading
1
After the man,
Adam, had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."
Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"
The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me--
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."
The LORD God then asked the woman,
"Why did you do such a thing?"
The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
on your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel."
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
Responsorial
Psalm
R. (1) Sing
to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Reading
2
Brothers and
sisters:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120825.cfm
Commentary on
Genesis 3:9-15,20; Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12; Luke 1:26-38
The Immaculate Conception means that Mary from the first
moment of her existence was totally free from the influence of that universal
sinfulness which touches us all from the time we are born. The reason behind
this belief (which is not explicitly contained in Scripture, and was only
infallibly defined in 1854 by Pope Pius IX in the papal bull Ineffabilis
Deus) is that only a totally sinless environment was fitting for the Son of
God in his becoming a human being. It has a very long history in the Church
(dating back as far as the 2nd century).
The First Reading reminds us that it was a woman (Eve) who
was instrumental in bringing pain and suffering, the result of sin, to the
whole world. It will also be a woman (Mary) who will be instrumental in
bringing to the world its salvation and healing.
The Second Reading tells us that all of us have been called
by God to share his love and blessings long before we even existed. This is
even more true of Mary, who was singled out from eternity by God to be the
Mother of his Son.
Today’s Gospel speaks, not of Mary’s conception, but that of
Jesus. It begins the moment Mary says that ‘Yes’. The angel greets her saying:
Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you…
In our Hail Mary prayer, “favored one” is translated as
“full of grace”. Mary is filled with God’s love and God’s favour and especially
singled out for this moment. “Full of grace” has always been interpreted as
indicating Mary’s total freedom from any taint of sin in her role as ‘Ark of
the Covenant’. It was believed that the Incarnate Word should begin his human
existence in an environment untouched by sin.
We can apply each of the readings to our own lives. We have
been often the cause of sin and pain in other people’s lives. Let us rather be
people who bring wholeness and healing.
As well, let us be deeply aware that, long before we were
born, every single one of us has been called by God to know, love and serve
him. We have been the constant recipients of his blessings. How will we
respond? Unlike Mary, we were born touched by a sinful world. But we also can
become filled with grace if, like her, we say a resounding and unconditional
‘Yes!’ to all that God wants from us. Let us ask Mary today to help us to love
Jesus as she did, right through the pain of the Cross to the joy of the
Resurrection.
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Monday,
December 8, 2025
Solemnity
of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgen Mary
LECTIO
Initial Prayer:
Rejoice, Oh Virgin Mary,
the star of Jacob is already
arising, The Scriptures are fulfilled today;
The Lord is coming like a promising cloud.
Our God is coming; He is not in silence; be attentive to His
greeting.
Sweet is the word of His lips, noble the design of His heart.
It shines like the wings of the
dove the vestment of His messenger; it descends like the zephyr in summer on
you, promising its comfort.
Our God displays His force, in
your flesh He finds repose; in you He finds His sanctuary, praise Him and love
Him forever.
Behold, His retinue appears, before Him, justice marches.
He will subdue the pride of the powerful, and render vigor to
the humble. He will spread out His mercy on the men who fear His name; humble
servant of the Lord, weave the praise of Love.
Gospel Reading -- Luke 1: 26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a
town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named
Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 He went in
and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favor! The Lord is with you.' 29
She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting
could mean, 30 but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won
God's favor. 31 Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
must name Him Jesus. 32 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; 33 He will
rule over the House of Jacob for ever and His reign will have no end.' 34 Mary
said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of
man?' 35 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. 36 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, 37 for nothing is impossible for God.' 38
Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you
have said.' And the angel left her.
A Moment of Silence:
so that the
Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our lives.
MEDITATIO
A Key to the Reading:
Though these themes are also in
Matthew and Mark, the Gospel of Luke is an original composition in many ways.
The Evangelist inserts into his narrative new material relative to the other
Gospel narratives. In the first two chapters which deal with the infancy of
Jesus, Luke follows the Jewish tradition, with many direct and indirect
references to the Old Testament. The theology, the symbolism, and the whole of
the account of the infancy of Jesus have, and find, their roots in the Semitic
world, different in many ways from the world and Greek thought. The Evangelist
places the beginning of his narrative in the milieu of the anawim, the poor of the Lord, who submit to God’s will, firm in
faith that the Lord will send them salvation at the opportune time. To the anawim the Lord promises to send the
Messiah, “sent to bring the news to the afflicted, to soothe the broken
hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, release to those in prison, to
proclaim a year of favor from Yahweh and a day of vengeance for our God, to
comfort all who mourn, to give to Zion’s mourners...” (Is 61: 1-3). This
promise of God is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth who, entering “into the
Synagogue on the Sabbath day as He usually did” (Lk 4: 16), proclaims that the
promise of God pronounced by Isaiah “has been fulfilled today” (Lk 4: 21) in
Him. Only the anawim can accept from
the Son of Joseph the carpenter, and of Mary (Lk 4: 22; Mt 13: 53-58; Mk 6:
1-5; Jn 1: 45), the Good News of salvation, while the others are unfortunately
scandalized because of Him. The Messiah is humble and sweet, His mouth
pronounces “words of grace” (Lk 4: 22), and this is why, in order to accept
Him, it is necessary to prepare oneself and enter into oneself to accept the
promised One of Israel. This is why the Lord admonishes by means of the
Prophet: “Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the earth, who obey the commands. Seek
uprightness, seek humility: you may perhaps find shelter, on the Day of
Yahweh’s anger” (Zp 1: 3).
In this context, “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” (Lk 1: 26-27). This virgin is one of the anawim to whom the Lord reveals His
salvation. With her are found two other anawim
“who were advanced in years” (Lk 1: 7), a priest called “Zechariah” and
“Elizabeth who was childless,” and therefore had no children (Lk 1: 5-7). The
salvation of the Lord is also announced to these two (Gen 30: 33; I Sam 1:
5-8); 2 Sam 6: 23; Ho 9: 11). Unfortunately, in the temple, during the liturgy,
which is a place of the revelation of the power and the glory of God, this Good
News was not accepted by the priest (Lk 1: 8-23). But the Word of God is not
bound, and it cannot be limited. In fact, the Holy One of Israel says “for as
the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before watering
the earth, fertilizing it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower
and food to eat, so it is with the word that goes from My mouth: it will not
return to Me unfulfilled or before having carried out My good pleasure and
having achieved what it was sent to do.” (Is 55: 10-11). This is why Elizabeth
“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” (Lk 1: 36-37). This will
be the event offered to Mary as a sign of the “power of the Most High” (Lk 1:
35) which will come down upon her like a shadow to conceive the Son of God
through the power of the Holy Spirit (Lk 1: 34- 35). The Son who will be named
Jesus “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” (Lk 1: 31-33). These words of the
angel echo those addressed to Ahaz : “the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Behold: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, whom she will call
Immanuel” (Is 7: 14). That is why, after John was conceived (Lk 1: 26), the
Good News was received “in a city of Galilee called Nazareth” (Lk 1: 26) by a
young girl, a “virgin promised to a spouse” (Lk 1: 27). “Nazareth” and “Mary”
are in contrast to “Jerusalem” and “priest”; just as the phrase “he went in” is
with the word “temple.” The Lord reveals himself in humble places and is
accepted by humble people from whom, in the judgment of men, “nothing good can
come” (Jn 1: 45). Mary is invited to rejoice: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord
is with you” (Lk 1: 28). The presence of the Lord in the midst of His people is
the occasion for joy because the presence of the Lord bears salvation and
blessing. The invitation of the angel is addressed to the whole People of God
in the person of Mary. That is why the whole People of God are called to
rejoice and be glad in the Lord their Savior. It is the Messianic joy which is
announced to all: “Cry out and shout for joy, you who live in Zion, for the
Holy One of Israel is among you in His greatness” (Is 12: 6); “Rejoice, exult
with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! Yahweh has repealed your sentence;
He has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king among you, Israel, you have
nothing more to fear...” (Zp 3: 14-15); “Rejoice, exult daughter of Zion,
because, behold, I come to live among you” (Zc 2: 14).
The conception of Jesus is a new
event, the primacy of the future new creation brought about by the generating
power of God who comes to counter the impossibility of Mary’s conceiving
because she knows no man (Lk 1: 34). The shadow which the Most High extends on
Mary recalls the cloud which accompanied the people in the desert during the
day (Ex 13: 22) which overshadowed Mount Sinai revealing the Glory of the Lord
during six days (Ex 19: 16; 24: 17). It is also a sign of the protection of
God, extended to the just, who invoke the name of the Lord and place themselves
in the hands of God during trials (Ps 17: 8; 57: 2; 140: 8). In creation, the
Spirit of God blew over the water, the sign of the creating power of the word
of God (Gen 1: 2).
God exceeds every human capacity.
Nothing is impossible for Him (Lk 1: 37; Gen 18: 14; Jer 32: 27). Before the
Lord of joy, life and salvation, Mary accepts His generating and creative word:
“Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to Your word”
(Lk 1: 38).
Questions to Orient the Meditation and Make
it Relevant:
•
The Lord reveals Himself to the anawim of his people. Who do you feel
are the contemporary anawim among us
today?
•
Many times we feel that we are in a world
hostile to God’s revelation. It also seems that He has become silent and no
longer reveals His word. Is this true? If He still speaks to us, where can I
find His life-giving word? How can I accept it?
•
The power of evil seems to envelop our restless
world. The many means of oppression seem to oppress the God of joy, freedom,
and mercy. How do you feel about this? Do you feel that today’s text inspires
you while facing a seemingly impossible situation?
•
What do you think is Mary’s attitude? Does this
reveal something of your own life?
ORATIO
Canticle of Mary
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior;
because He has looked upon the
humiliation of His servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me
blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is His name, and His faithful
love extends age after age to those who fear Him.
He has used the power of His arm,
He has routed the arrogant of heart. He has pulled down princes from their
thrones and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good
things, sent the rich away empty. He has come to the help of Israel his
servant, mindful of His faithful love - according to the promise He made to our
ancestors - of His mercy to Abraham and to His descendants forever.
A Moment for a Prayerful Silence
CONTEMPLATIO
For here men of strong will can
enter into themselves and remain there as much as they like, diligently
cultivating the seeds of virtue and eating the fruits of paradise with joy.
Here they can acquire the eye that
wounds the Bridegroom with love, by the limpidity of its gaze, and whose purity
allows them to see God himself.
Here they can observe a busy leisure and rest in quiet
activity.
Here also God crowns his athletes
for their stern struggle with the hoped-for reward: a peace unknown to the
world and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Such a way of life is exemplified
by Rachel, who was preferred by Jacob for her beauty, even though she bore
fewer children than Leah, with her less penetrating eyes. Contemplation, to be
sure has fewer offspring than does action, and yet Joseph and Benjamin were the
favorites of their father. This life is the best part chosen by Mary, never to
be taken away from her.
(From the Letter of
Saint Bruno to Rudolph il Verde).
(The author’s
translation: [In the contemplation], in fact, to strong men it is granted to
recollect themselves when they desire to remain with themselves, to assiduously
cultivate the sprouts of virtue and nourish themselves, happily, from the
fruits of Paradise. Here the eye of the serene gaze, is acquired, which wounds
the Spouse with love, and through its transparency and purity God is seen. Here
is practiced a laborious leisure time and the rest in a quiet action. Here,
because of the tiredness of the struggle, God gives to his athletes the desired
reward, that is, the peace which the world ignores, and the joy in the Holy
Spirit. This is that Rachel who is coming, of a beautiful aspect, which Jacob,
even though less fertile of children, loved more than Lia, certainly more
fecund but of bleary eyes. In fact, the sons of contemplation are less numerous
in regard to those of the action; nevertheless, Joseph and Benjamin, more than
the other brothers, are loved by the father.
This is that best part
which Mary has chosen and which will not be taken from her.)
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