Daily Gospel
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah
Is 7:10-14
The LORD spoke to Ahaz:
Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary men,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
Lk 1:26-38
In the sixth month,
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.
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
(Lk 1:26-38)
God’s Word for Us
Dear people of God,
The Word of God today tells about the Angel Gabriel bringing the Word of God the Father to the Blessed Virgin Mary and announcing that she will conceive and give birth to a son.
Mother Mary is the most blessed of all women; she was chosen by God the Father from time immemorial. In God’s work of salvation, the Blessed Virgin Mary cannot be absent. She is a woman full of grace, full of strength, and the power of the Holy Spirit. She was chosen by God to give birth to the Son of God under the powerful action of the Holy Spirit. Unmarried and pregnant, the Blessed Virgin Mary herself asked about it: I have not known a man, how can I have children? The angel of the Annunciation explained to Our Blessed Lady that her pregnancy was caused by the strength and power of the Holy Spirit and not by man. Thus, the promise of God to save mankind was fulfilled: after the Annunciation, the Son of God entered the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Blessed Virgin Mary is a woman chosen by God and one who has absolute faith in the supreme God. She is the model of faith in God, and the model of absolute obedience to the will of God the Father. It was because of her response: “Yes! Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Since then, she completely believed in the all-powerful God, believing that there is nothing that God the Father cannot do. That is true! Her absolute trust in God the Father was realized. Her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant in her old age, also believed in and never doubted the power of God.
With the Blessed Virgin Mary’s absolute trust in the supreme God, God invites people in the world today:
– Follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s faith in God, and live according to her faith.
– When you believe in God the Father, live simply, surrender, and do exactly what God has commanded. In this way, you will not be tempted by Satan. So that Satan will not snatch your soul away from the loving embrace of God the Father.
Besides, God the Father also calls people in the world today:
– Have faith, a humble life, and absolute obedience to God the Father. With humility, self-abasement, and listening to and practicing the Word of God, God will bestow His grace, power, and strength on souls and bodies. Satan loses when people live with humility, obedience, and absolute trust in the love and power of God the Father.
God the Father invites humanity today: to look up to the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to live and follow what she has taught people in today’s world.
Thanks Be to God. Amen.
