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 peace of the Lord be with you.
It is said that each us is created by God for a special and unique purpose. The Blessed Virgin Mary is an extraordinary example of this. Today, we celebrate her and the essential role she played in salvation history.
It is Church teaching that she was untouched by original sin. This does not mean that was not created without a free will. Mary was fully human, and like us, she could make decisions based on her conscience and desires. With that said, she still said yes to being the vessel who would bring the son of God to earth. With her action, the saving action of the cross was put into motion… with her motherly love, she has given us the gift of life eternal.
So, today, I encourage you to ponder the life and love of this amazing women who willingly stepped into an unknown journey she would walk with her Jesus.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.