SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - Gospel (Lk 1:26-38) THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Lk 1:38)

FIRST READING - Gen 3, 9-15

First reading from the Book of Genesis

The LORD God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you?

He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid.”

Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat?

The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.”

The LORD God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.”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.

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.

SECOND READING from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians - Eph 1,3-6.11-12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. 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, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 1:26-38

From the Gospel according to Luke

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.

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - Gospel (Lk 1:26-38)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

 Dear People of God,

Today's Word of God speaks about the most significant event of humanity. That is, Mary, the Immaculate Conception, was a virgin all her life, carrying the Son of God as a human being. Immaculate from the womb and throughout her life, she was loved and protected by God the Father with the Holy Spirit overshadowing her, when she said "yes" absolutely.

She was chosen by God before the earth and the sky existed. God lovingly placed her in the work of saving the world. She was appointed to be the Mother of God from the very beginning. Therefore, throughout Mary's life, she was under God's Providence.The Bible says that the first human being appointed to be the mother of all living beings, Eve, disobeyed God. She listened to the temptations of the ancient serpent and displeased God. She also led the first family to sin and lost the original holiness God created at the beginning. But God, rich in mercy, continued the plan of salvation for humanity by choosing a woman to replace the disobedient Eve. God protected Mary from original sin right from her conception. And because of her absolute obedience, He made her the most exalted person among humans, and she became the Mother of all creation. “The word Eve, Mother, when spelled backwards, becomes Ave, sending peace to the world.” Because she was Immaculate, Mary remained a virgin all her life. The saints compared her to the burning bush that Moses saw before God came to him. Likewise, from the Mother, from her holy virgin womb, God came down to earth, becoming human so that humans could become children of God. Mary became the General who crushed the head of the ancient serpent who approached Eve to tempt her to eat the forbidden fruit. Due to her Yes, due to her perfect virginity, Satan had to submit and retreat. That was God's great plan for her. Therefore, in God's work of salvation, Mary was always worthy to be present. And she collaborated with an important role in this work. She listened and obeyed God's will at all times and in all places. When He sent the angel Gabriel to announce the news to her. The angel who was sent praised her as the most blessed of all women, filled with grace and the power of the Most High.

She humbly accepted the grace of the mission to conceive the Son of God even though she could not understand, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" She simply and promptly obeyed God's command when she listened to the announcement, listened to the angel's explanation.

And from then on, the Mother continued to cooperate with the Son of God who came down to earth to save the world. She faithfully followed the Savior to the foot of the Cross. The Mother continued her mission in the work of the Sanctification of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus gave her to Saint John, and gave John the representative of the Church to her, she became the Mother of the Church, and become the leading female commander in the program of sanctifying the Church and sanctifying people.

Thus, throughout the journey of salvation in which the Son of God came down to earth to become a human, there was always the presence of Mary, the Immaculate Conception. She was given a privilege that no other human being in this world has. Therefore, mankind must know how to praise God. It is a joy to thank the Virgin Mary for setting a wonderful example for humanity to follow in cooperating with God in the mission given:

She obeyed His will at all times and places.

She listened to the teachings of God, put the Word into practice by living the virtues fully in her life. And she sacrificed her own life to demonstrate the power of God when He gave her the privilege of not having any stain of sin while living on this earth.

In today's Word of God, God invites all humanity:

Know how to listen and obey the will of God following the example of Mother Mary, so that God's will can be manifested in you; free your soul from the captivity of Satan, from their trampling right here on earth when you know how to recognize your sins, know how to resolve to stop sinning and consciously do good deeds to atone for your sins, to be forgiven by God.

Always be grateful to God in all circumstances, and run to Mother Mary when you are tempted by Satan, when the heavy temptation makes it impossible to look up to God. Beg her to protect you, to shield you, to protect you from the cunning schemes of Satan, from the traps they set, to drag your soul into sin and displease God.

O Mother of the Immaculate Conception, please drive Satan out of my soul and body. Please have mercy and peel off each layer of demons that have been piled on me, during the long years I have been immersed in the filthy swamp of sin.

O Mary, the Mother of God, Most Holy Virgin, Commander of the Army of Light, have mercy on us. Amen.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

19:00 December 8th, 2024 Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven