Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you.’
29 She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean,
30 but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour.
31 Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David;
33 he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’
34 Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?’
35 The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.
36 And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month,
37 for nothing is impossible to God.’
38 Mary said, ‘You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.’ And the angel left her.
Reflection:
Recently, we are still on the verge of battling this pandemic. The battle from the virus is devastating our very souls. The country is in struggle but still standing with God as the center of everything.
Let us try to contemplate for a while and listen to the Word of God. Let us allow that Word to cuddle our hearts and heal our wounds. Let us allow the Word to unite us as brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us all be contain in the divine providence of God as we continue to live our lives.
Our Gospel for today talks about the visitation of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. Mary is the chosen one to bear the Son of God and the angel announce to her that she will be pregnant. Mary does not know everything but she entrust herself to God and she believed God. Then all the blessings come down to her as she bears the savior of the world.
Today, let us acknowledge the blessings of home. Like Mary, let us celebrate the goodness and strength that we have received from being at home with family and friends. Let us be humbled by the home we have establish in God through our faith journey, through our service, through our life in a community of faith that challenges and supports efforts to proclaim God’s love and mercy.
It is not enough that we are summoned to make our home in God. God, through Mary, is very clear that it is God who wants to make God’s home in us. We, like Mary, are to be God’s abode. We are to be the shelter of dwelling, where the power of Love, Mercy and Compassion resides and goes forward. We have to be like Mary, to consent, trust and risk so that God’s dwelling within us can be alive and cause life to stir in those who meet us.
Mary is the epitome that we must follow and look forward. Her chastity and meekness will always be something that we must have within ourselves as well. We always have to remember that our good deeds are counted as we live here on earth.
This, This Christmas, our reward is not based on the things we received but by the good deeds we do for others. Let us try to ask God to make us meek and humble of heart like Mary our mother. – Clea | Helpline PH
