The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
We celebrate this wonderful Solemnity honoring the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Mother of God, and our "Good Mother", as Saint Marcellin loved to call her. Her humble, yet world-changing life continues to influence us and draw us to her Son. In the Ages of Faith the people of France built a magnificent cathedral in her honor, whose restoration and reopening after a devastating fire brought hundreds of world leaders to its altar and captivated the attention of the world via the media. As Pope Francis noted, this event could be the spark for a reawakening of the Faith in France. We are not in Paris, but we can in this Advent time of prayerful preparation for the Birth of Jesus, renew our Faith, prayer life and love of neighbor through simple and quiet acts of kindness. Mary loves us all with her tender "Mother's love", let us return that love by loving all who come into our lives.
Bro. Rene
Dear God, thank you for Mary, our Good Mother, and help us grow ever more faithful to her beloved Son. Amen.
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