Announcement of the birth of Jesus March 24, 2014 Share this: Luke 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, favored one! 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. REFLECTIONS MAY IT BE DONE TO ME. At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel addresses Mary as “favored one” (Greek kecharitomene). This means that God has filled Mary with grace. Catholics believe that one special grace is her “immaculate conception”: she is conceived without sin in order to be a worthy mother of Jesus, the Son of the Most High. Her cousin Elizabeth calls Mary “most blessed” because of the fruit of her womb and because Mary believes the word of the Lord and says yes. God’s plan of sending his only begotten Son to be like us becomes possible because a human being — Mary — takes the role as Mother of the Savior. God willingly dialogues with Mary. And Mary freely says yes. In our families, neighborhood, and parishes, dialogue should be a way of life, if ever we want to appreciate the value and freedom of each person. “Faith is revived through Mary, the hope of heaven is reinforced, charity is spread, and Christian life is established in the home” SOURCE: “366 Days with the Lord 2012,” .
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:57:13 +0000
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