Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Intention: That all people will embrace the story of the birth of the Christ Child as a time to increase our attention to the needs of children throughout the world.
Today’s Gospel | 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, 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.
Reflection for the Second Tuesday of Advent
As the day of Christmas approaches, Christians everywhere are turning their thoughts to an ancient and wonderful scripture. It recounts the birth of Jesus, an event that continues to both awe and confound humanity to this day. After the arrival of Jesus himself, perhaps no moment in the Nativity story is more wondrous than when God first revealed that we were about to be visited…by God. It would happen to a young, befuddled girl named Mary, and her response would inspire and instruct every generation to follow.
As we know, Mary was told that she was to be the Mother of God. She did not understand how this could be possible, and she could not fathom how she could be worthy. However, she did know what it meant to be in the presence of God. She knew what it meant that God is. She knew that the only thing to do, the only thing that made any sense, was to have faith. And so, Mary said yes. She emptied herself of her doubts and fears and welcomed God’s promise.
This story about the faith of Mary paints for us an amazing portrait of the relationship between believing and living. The story tells us that just as it was the power of God that brought Mary to life, it was the power of her faith that helped bring God to life in the person of Jesus. The message is clear: in God’s plan, faith makes life possible. Not just existence, but the fullness of meaning and purpose in which lies creation’s sacredness and dignity, and the reconciliation of living to aliveness that we call salvation.
In his book, He Still Moves Stones, author Max Lucado writes, “Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.” We are called to open ourselves to the unexpected and the challenging. Most importantly, we are called to turn our lives around, away from our small and cluttered understandings and straight to God’s wisdom and ways. The time of Advent is a time for imitating Mary’s faith in the providence of God, for saying yes to God’s invitation to hope and commitment, and for proclaiming that God has visited us and has stayed.
Prayer
Eternal Father, as we prepare during this Advent to celebrate the gift of our Lord, we remember how your gift came to us. Through the faith and selflessness of our Blessed Mother, you gave us your Son, who teaches us how to live lives of faith, mercy, and justice, with peace in our hearts and with goodwill to all. Because of Mary’s gift of herself, you were able to give yourself to our world. Help us to hold in ourselves those same virtues of trust in you and openness to your will. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.