Reading I
Is 7:10-14; 8:10
The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!”
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us!”
Reading II
Heb 10:4-10
Brothers and sisters:
It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats
take away sins.
For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.
Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll,
behold, I come to do your will, O God.’”
First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings,
holocausts and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in.”
These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.”
He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this “will,” we have been consecrated
through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Gospel
Lk 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.
Meditation: Luke 1:26-38
The Annunciation of the Lord
Most of us have probably known someone about whom we could say, “She was like a mother to me.” Perhaps this person showed us kindness when we were in need. Part of that motherly quality was that she couldn’t say no to anyone. She always seemed to be helping someone, whether it was the unfortunate or her friends and neighbors. She had an openness to others that made people seek her out. When they came into contact with her, they felt loved and nurtured.
Mary certainly had all of these qualities—only to a much greater degree. When she agreed to accept Jesus as her son, she also accepted the whole human race as her children! Even during her lifetime, Mary helped form the first Christian community by welcoming all those Jesus called “the least of these.” Now in heaven with her son, she welcomes all of us.
There was a wideness to the way Mary embraced her calling. Tax collectors, prostitutes, honest fishermen—they all found a home in her heart. And even today, Mary doesn’t pick and choose among us. She receives everyone who comes to her; she doesn’t discriminate but intercedes for all of us with equal compassion and love. And even as she receives us, she urges us to be just as open and generous with each other. Not judging. Not particular. Not hot and cold. Rather, she asks us to see everyone as members of our family, as brothers and sisters who are all deserving of our prayer, our attention, and our concern.
So turn to Mary today and ask her to intercede for you. Is there someone you think the Lord is asking you to reach out to? Pray for guidance and a little bit of courage. Then look for an opportunity to care for that person. Your willingness to share yourself may be more important than you know. When people see the Lord living in us and hear what he has done in our lives, their hearts can soften. Don’t discount the impact you can have on people. If God can take a teenage girl and turn her into the mother of the church, imagine what he can do with you!
“Lord, thank you for giving us your Blessed Mother, your first and most loving disciple. May I follow her example and show your mercy to everyone you put in my path.”
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