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.
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Reflection:
Do you accept the will of the Lord for
your life or you contradict it?
Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception. This was defined by Pope Pius IX in Ineffabilis Deus and was
promulgated on December 8, 1854, it states that Mary, through God's grace, was
conceived free from the stain of original sin through her role as the Mother of
God.
The Gospel tells us that God thru the
Angel Gabriel had chosen the Blessed Mother to be the Mother of Jesus, of all
women why the Blessed Mother? We don’t know the answer but the Blessed Mother’s
humility, docility and abandonment to the will of God speaks volumes about her.
The Blessed Mother humbly followed God’s
desire and will when she said: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May
it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38)."
Like the Blessed Mother, are you willing
to humble yourself before the Lord? Are you willing to abandon your life to the
will of God? And do you always discern the desire of the Holy Spirit in your
life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas