Reading 1 Gn 3:9-15, 20
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 meC
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 Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
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 Eph 1:3-6, 11-12
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.
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
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The Immaculate Conception of Mary
I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)
Have you ever wondered why there are so many beautiful works of art portraying the early life of Mary? Why do imaginative stories like those of the birth of Mary to Anne and Joachim, her dedication as a young girl in the Temple, and her betrothal to Joseph have such a strong appeal?
Neither the gospels nor the church offers any information about Mary’s parentage, birth, infancy, or adolescence. Nor do they attempt any historical reconstruction of Mary’s unique conception. In defining the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in 1854, Pope Pius IX simply stated: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God … preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” Nonetheless, we love those magnificent paintings that depict Marian legends.
Why do these works have such an effect? Because God created us with a deep capacity for wonder and awe. He has also given us the ability to dream and imagine, and he wants us to use this ability to lift up our hearts to him. So even if some of these works may not be historically accurate, these stories, paintings, and sculptures can really inspire us and bring us closer to God.
There is another point here, however. As inspiring as these works of art are, God’s actual plan for Mary is even more amazing and inspiring— precisely because it is real!
Just think: God’s plan for each one of us is just as fantastic as his plan for Mary. We may not have had the grace of an immaculate conception, but that doesn’t mean that we are barred from the glory of heaven that Mary knows right now. And neither does it mean that we have to wait for our final salvation before we can begin enjoying the adventure God wants to give us. The truth is, he is calling us to a life of beauty and holiness—right here and right now—that will make even the most stunning of paintings seem pale and dull in comparison.
“Lord, I lift up my heart to you in awe and worship! Your plans for me are wondrously and infinitely greater than anything I could ever imagine!”
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