Announcement of the Birth of Jesus

Today's Reflections

          

Announcement of the Birth of Jesus 

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Lk 1:26-38

²⁶The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. ³²He 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, ³³and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” ³⁵And 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. ³⁶And 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; ³⁷for nothing will be impossible for God.” ³⁸Mary 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.

Reflection:

How can this be? Surprise upon surprise, grace upon grace! In yesterday’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel announced the gift of a child to Zechariah, an old priest, and to his wife, the elderly and sterile Elizabeth; here we have Gabriel announcing to Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph but not yet living with him, that she will conceive a son, the Davidic Messiah and Son of God, by the sheer power of God. How much more unexpected is the conception of a child by a virgin without a man’s intervention than the conception of a child by two elderly people, the woman being sterile besides. But truly, for God nothing is impossible, and Mary believes this. Unlike Zechariah who doubted, she believes and submits herself fully to God’s word.

To believe is to be ready for anything

God may reveal and ask, and to receive God’s word

with trust and total submission, like Mary.