Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Daily Missal November-December 2024

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (feast)
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FIRST READING

From the Book of Genesis (Gen 3:9-15, 20)
[After the man had eaten from the fruit of the tree,] the Lord God called to him and said: «Where are you?». He answered: «I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid». Then he asked: «Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat?». The man replied: «The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it». Then the Lord God asked the woman: «What is this you have done?». The woman answered: «The serpent deceived me, so I ate». Then the Lord God said to the serpent: «Because you have done this, cursed are you among all livestock and all wild animals! On your belly you shall crawl, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, while you strike at his heel». The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. – The Word of the Lord.

Reflection on the First Reading

The first consequence of sin is that man feels fear toward God. Before, there were no problems; on the contrary, Adam continually thanked the Lord for everything he had and for the gift of such a beautiful life, and he was happy. Sin ruins him and makes him lose his sense of God's goodness; he can no longer see him as love, as a good and caring father. The second effect is that he immediately shifts the blame outward: Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. We cannot humbly admit our mistake because the poison injected by the serpent is called “pride”. The sinful man has become proud like Satan. The serpent, Satan, blames no one, because he knows well what he has done. It seems like a picture of total defeat, but instead it is nothing other than the beginning of recovery, of the journey of grace that will culminate in the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And the one who will lead the human race to full redemption will be a woman, the Virgin Mary, whose victory is announced in Genesis, and whose path is called “the path of humility”.

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians (Eph 1:3-6, 11-12)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. In him he chose us, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him in love, destining us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good purpose of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In him we have also been made heirs, predestined according to the purpose of the One who accomplishes everything according to his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who have already hoped in Christ. – The Word of the Lord.

Reflection on the Second Reading

When Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, the Carmelite canonized in 2016, wrote her letters, she would occasionally sign herself «Laudem gloriae». In this way she reminded herself and others of the meaning of her existence and ours. Why were we born, why do we live, why do we exist? To be «the praise of the glory of God», as Paul says to the Ephesians today and reiterates in other letters: «Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God» (1 Cor 10:31). Indeed, we live for him, being his children. And God lives for us, being our Father. The Virgin Mary fulfills all this to the highest degree; she never places any imperfection or obstacle between herself and God. From the very first moment, she is and lives for the praise of the glory of God. To look to her today and pray with her means for us to be directed along the same path, to be helped on our journey, to share somewhat in her holiness and thus find meaning in our actions. Therefore, before carrying out any action, let us ask ourselves whether we are doing it «for the praise of the glory of God».

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:26-38)
At that time, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. He came to her and said: «Rejoice, 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; he will reign 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 do not know man?». 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 child to be born will be holy; he will be called 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». Then 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 Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection on the Gospel of the Day

The Virgin Mary could not have imagined that she had been conceived without original sin, nor could she have supposed that she was called to become the Mother of God. The surprise is enormous, but «nothing is impossible for God», and Mary docilely enters into this plan and mystery that concerns not only her, but all humanity, as well as God himself, naturally. If God becomes man, he is not only present among us, but is one of us; love for him, reciprocity, and living for one another become possible, because love requires a person, corporeality. With the expression «may it be done to me according to your word», all humanity takes a leap forward; from that moment on, we can say to God: «I love you», because it is the holy Virgin who first says it to her divine Child. The eternal dialogue that takes place within the Most Holy Trinity (the Father who says: «My Son» and the Word who replies: «My Father») now reverberates through creation and becomes possible between a creature and the Creator. «Fiat!» and God becomes man. The same thing happens whenever we, poor sinners, allow God to act in us. We say: «Let it be» and the Lord Jesus comes. The Immaculate One is the first to make it possible for God to be God-with-us.