Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1, 26-38
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.
The Annunciation
1. The angel came to her. It’s important to understand that the supernatural also comes into your life. Jesus sends people into your life to announce that you have a mission here on earth, something that will be good for others. You must always be open to the novelty of the Gospel which teaches a new attitude, an open response to the mysterious action of God. So, don’t close yourself to what God wants to propose to you! And, above all, let yourself be surprised by God and by those angels that He sends to your life to show you the way.
2. The Holy Spirit. The power of the Spirit is at work in you. Many times, we get discouraged, but we must appreciate the strength of the Holy Spirit. It’s the same Spirit who works in you and in me, in the Church. Let the Spirit remove all your fears and help you to be able to accomplish the work that God asks of you. God has given each one of us a mission, but He has also given us his strength so that we can fulfil it.
3. Handmaid. Mary is the handmaid of the Lord, for love, because she surrenders to this new direction in her life, in total trust. This is what is proposed to us: to trust in God, knowing that God is sustaining us. So, take courage to continue, never stop trusting in God. Even if you think all is lost, you have God’s strength. Surrender to God’s will, everything will be all right!
Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
