3RD WEEK OF ADVENT
Psalter: Week 3 / (Violet)
Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
1st Reading: Is 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.
Gospel: Lk 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.
REFLECTION:
We call ourselves “Pueblo Amante de Maria“. But we can only prove this if we really follow the examples of Mary. We hear in the gospel that the angel announced to her that she would be the mother of Jesus. How did she accept this? There are three qualities of Mary‘s response to God‘s invitation for her to be the mother of God ( 3Fs):
1) Faithful-In the annunciation, we hear about Mary‘s Fiat. Mary uttered her yes to the word of the angel, and from that instance the Word, the second person in the Trinity, was incarnated in her. The plan of God began to realize because of Mary‘s faithfulness. Wonderful things can happen to us, if only, we are faithful to God.
2) Fruitful–When Mary accepted God‘s invitations, she became pregnant of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Her faithfulness led to fruitfulness. In the same manner, the Word, the Son of God, is also incarnated in us every time we say yes to him. This is our own FIAT that we do every day; this is our own “Yes“ to God that gives birth to Jesus in our life.
3) For-ever or lasting commitment. Her fidelity is not a one time yes to God but a series of yeses. In her entire life she became faithful to her calling and vocation as the mother of God. She was a true mother to Jesus and she remained as such until the end. His disciples have denied and abandoned him. One disciple has even betrayed him. But Mary remained by his side even at the foot of the cross.
This is what we pray for today to imitate Mary in her fidelity and loyalty to God till the end of our life. May the example of Mary serve as our inspiration so that Jesus may be born in our life and so that we can also give birth to Jesus in others‘ lives.
Daily Reflection
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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Readings and Reflections
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