December 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lk 1:26-38)
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
FIRST READING - Gen 3:9-15, 20
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers."
A reading from the Book of Genesis
9 The Lord God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat? 12 The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.” 13 The Lord God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.”
14 Then the Lord God said to the snake:
Because you have done this,
cursed are you
among all the animals, tame or wild;
On your belly you shall crawl,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
[a]15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
They will strike at your head,
while you strike at their heel.[b]
SECOND READING - Eph 1:3-6, 11-12
"He chose us in him, before the foundation of the world."
A reading from the Letter to the Ephesians
3 [a]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,[b] 4 as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love 5 he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, 6 for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. 11 In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, 12 so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped[a] in Christ.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 1:26-38
"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son."
✠From the Gospel according to Luke
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of 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 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,[a] and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”[b] 35 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. 36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived[c] a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 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.
December 8: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lk 1:26-38)
Dear people of God,
Today's Word of God speaks about The Blessed Virgin Mary, as the Immaculate Conception and as ever-virgin.
She was chosen by God even before the creation of heaven and earth.
God lovingly placed Her in the plan of saving the world.
The entire life of the Blessed Virgin Mary rests within the divine providence of God the Father.
God the Father has placed Her as the most exalted person; She is the Mother of all humanity.
She was appointed to be the Mother of the Son of God right from the primordial beginning of the creation of heaven and earth.
God appointed Eve to be the mother of all living beings, but Eve disobeyed God the Father, listening to the temptation of the ancient serpent.
It was for this reason that Eve displeased God the Father, losing the original sanctity that God the Father created from the beginning.
That is why God lovingly intervened to save humanity.
God established the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, perpetually a virgin, the Mother of God.
God appointed the Blessed Virgin Mary as the one who would crush the head of the ancient serpent that tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
In the plan of God the Father, there is always the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception. She collaborated in God the Father's plan of salvation.
She listened to and obeyed God’s Holy Will when He sent the Angel Gabriel to announce the good news to Her.
She is blessed among all women, full of grace, and the power of the Most High overshadowed Her.
She conceived the Son of God through the power of the Holy Spirit; upon hearing the message of the Annunciation, She promptly obeyed the holy command of God the Father, and from then on, She continued to cooperate with the Son of God who came to earth to become human to save the world.
She was entrusted to Saint John by God.
She is the Mother of all humanity.
Throughout the entire journey of salvation, in which the Son of God came to earth to become human, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, was always present.
She was granted a special privilege by God, one that no other human being on this earth possesses.
Therefore, humanity must praise God and give thanks to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
She is a wonderful example for humanity to follow in cooperating with God the Father in this plan of salvation:
She obeyed His Divine Will in all places and at all times.
She listened to the word commanded by God, and thus cooperated with the Son of God who came to earth to become human.
She sacrificed Her entire life.
She was granted the special privilege by God of being free from any stain of sin while living on earth.
That is God the Father’s love and mercy manifested in the very person of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
God the Father desires humanity today to run to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, and Perpetually Virgin.
Ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to come and drive Satan out of your soul and body.
Ask Her to cast out the evils that are imprisoning your soul and body, for She Herself has been granted the special privilege by God to crush the head of Satan and his demons.
Therefore, in today's Word of God, God calls all of humanity to:
Learn to listen to and obey God the Father’s divine will, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that God's divine will may be manifested in us; and thereby, we can save our souls from Satan’s captivity, escaping the darkness that surrounds both the soul and body.
We should give thanks to God and turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking her to protect us, to shield us, and to safeguard us from the schemes and temptations of Satan, from our imperfect sins in the sight of God the Father.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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