“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

Isaiah 7:10-14

 Once again Yahweh addressed Ahaz,

  “Ask for a sign from Yahweh your God, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.”  But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask, I will not put Yahweh to the test.”

 Then Isaiah said, “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people, that you also try the patience of my God?   Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The Virgin is with child and bears a son and calls his name Immanuel.

 

Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God, to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

The angel came to her and said, "Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean.

 But the angel said, "Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a son; and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever; and his reign shall have no end."

 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born of you shall be called Son of God.

Even your relative, Elizabeth, is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible." Then Mary said, "I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said." And the angel left her.

 

Gospel Reflection：

Angels do not appear randomly. Each time, it is always with a purpose. For angels are serious creatures with lots of things to do on behalf of God. They do not spend their time frivolously. That is why when the Angel Gabriel appeared to a girl child in Nazareth, Mary was troubled.

The heavenly messenger is asking her to perform a ministry that God has not asked anyone for thousands of years. Now Mary's annunciation is unique and unrepeatable. But we too have our own little annunciations in our lives. How do we square with Mary?

Do we respond with courage and bravery as she did? This gospel tells us that courage and bravery come in various packages. And in this case, a young maiden from the backwaters of Nazareth stunned not only the world, but heaven as well with her courageous “yes”.