Announcement of the Birth of Jesus

Today's Reflections

                                                                                   

 

Announcement of the Birth of Jesus

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.

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. We celebrate today the proclamation of Pope Pius IX who, on December 8, 1854, affirmed as a solemn dogma of our Christian faith the constant belief of the Church from ancient times that Mary, chosen Mother of the Savior, received the benefits of salvation through the merits of her Son Jesus… and she was conceived free from the stain of original sin. With this, the Pope explicates the deep and full meaning of Sacred Scriptures that describes Mary as “full of grace.”

Beyond this marvelous grace of God, the Gospel highlights how the Blessed Mother corresponds to the privilege given her by consistent and constant affirmation of herself as servant and instrument of the divine will. God initiated a big favor for her, and she magnifies (cf Lk 1:46) this favor with her continuing “yes.”

What personal favors has God given you,

even without your asking for them?

How are you corresponding

to God’s manifold graces for you?