Feast of the Immaculate Conception
[Dec. 8, 2011]
Luke 1:26-38
Announcement of the Birth of Jesus
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
[The angel Gabriel said to Mary], “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ~ v. 28
“No, no,” said Catherine shaking her head. “The Immaculate Conception of Mary isn’t the conception of Jesus; it’s the conception of Mary.” Catherine was conducting the second RCIA inquiry session and dealing with a common … misconception. “Today’s gospel can be confusing because it’s the story of the virgin conception of Jesus and, of course, Christmas is in three weeks. But today we celebrate the conception of Mary!
“While her parents conceived her in the normal way, she was kept free from original sin from the very first moment of her life in the womb of her mother. It was God’s gift to her, seeing that she would become the mother of Jesus. That’s why the angel said she was full of grace. Baptism cleanses us of original sin, too, so we can be full of grace just like Mary. Then, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, we receive Jesus in our bodies and bring his presence to the whole world. Mary is a model for us all.”
Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarroabel.blogspot.com/).
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