For at the moment 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.” Luke: 1: 35-38
Reflection
“Uncertain” would be the perfect word to describe how a lot of people have been feeling this year. There’s been so much change, insecurity, and worry about what the future holds. Then, just as we’re nearing the end of the year — with many people heading to 2022 with an unparalleled level of exhaustion — we have the most beautiful reminder in today’s readings that everything will be just fine.
In the first reading from Isaiah, God promises Ahaz, the evil king of Judah who was at war with the kings of Israel and Syria, that He had not abandoned Judah, and promised its perpetuity. Even though Ahaz refused to ask for a sign of this promise, Isaiah gave him one: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”
While this Son didn’t come until several centuries later, we are reminded of this promise in today’s beautiful Gospel passage from Luke, in which Mary unreservedly gives herself to God’s will. So unwavering is her faith that she accepts Angel Gabriel’s message that she will give birth to the Son of God.
How wonderful it must be to have such certainty of faith. Yet, another important message for us to consider is how wonderful it is to have a loving Father who fulfills His promises! How can we not have faith? It’s the reminder we all truly need to hear today when life can be so full of doubt.
So as we prepare for Christ’s birth in just a few days, have faith in your hearts that God is by your side. Just follow our Blessed Mother’s lead and give yourselves to Him.
Prayer
O God, eternal majesty, whose ineffable Word
the immaculate Virgin received through
the message of an Angel
and so became the dwelling-place of divinity,
filled with the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant, we pray, that by her example
we may in humility hold fast to your will.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
And today we celebrate...