Reading 1
Is 7:10-14
The LORD spoke to Ahaz:
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 men,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
Responsorial PsalmR. (see 7c and 10b)
Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
Gospel
Lk 1:26-38
In the sixth month,
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
“May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Mary, how could you have known that your simple “yes” would mean so much to the world? You gave us all a new lease on life. By welcoming Jesus into your womb, you enabled our salvation to draw near. God could forgive our sins and make us whole again—all because you said “yes”!
How did you do it? What immense love must have been in your heart—love for God and love for his people! More than any other person, you could sense God’s love as it showered down from heaven, and you wanted nothing more than to return that love as fully as possible.
I can just picture you rising every morning, eager to see what wonders God had in store for you that day. I can just imagine how much you looked forward to hearing his voice in your heart and to finding new ways to glorify him. That “yes” that you said at the Annunciation was one in a long line of “yeses,” and I am so grateful that you lived so faithful a life!
O Mary, conceived without sin, teach me how to say “yes” as you did! Teach me how to trust God and how to allow things in my life that may seem strange and different at first. Teach me how to stop and listen for that whisper of the Spirit asking me to make choices for God and not myself. Pray that I would have the courage to stand in faith on God’s promises, just as you did every day of your life.
Mary, you told the stewards at the wedding feast at Cana, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). This was no new revelation for you but a reflection of the way you lived every day. Pray that I would have the same open, trusting, and obedient heart. Pray that I will listen to Jesus and do what he says, so that like you I can become a channel of his grace and blessing to the world around me.
Thank you, Mary, for being strong and so humble! Thank you for being our Mother!
“Hail, Mary, full of grace! Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death!”
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