Today’s Gospel Text:
In
the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named
Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said,
"Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at
the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive
in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be
called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his
father David, 33 and he will reign over the
house of Jacob for ever;
and
of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel,
"How shall this be, since I have no husband?" 35 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 called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your kinswoman
Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month
with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be
impossible." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I
am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And
the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26-38
Reflection: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city
of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David.” (vs.26)
Joseph seemed to be no
ordinary man; for he belonged to the house of David, and Mary was betrothed to
him.
Such are the vagaries
of life; what we are and what we become the immediate next moment!
Mary through
her betrothal gains new status but yet a status lived in the simplicity of
life, because Joseph himself was a righteous and simple man.
This
reflection on Mary and Joseph should make us pause and reflect on our own
personal status, where we come from and where we belong.
There
are times in our lives when we could deliberately be searching for that elusive fame
or ancestry or hold on to that noble lineage, which is again our worldly possession.
Such
attachments to imaginary or real superiority could be a major obstacle to
receiving the ancestry of Jesus, rooted in God as the Father; “from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.” Eph
3:15
John
the Baptist having seen the obstacles that such an attitude could throw up had
this warning to the sheep:
“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to
yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from
these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the
root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut
down and thrown into the fire." Lk. 3:7-9
Prayer: Lord,
you have promised that all who receive your Son Jesus and believe in him will be empower ed to be your children. (cfr. Jn. 1:12) Accept me and my family and make us your own through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
DD = Dedicated
Discipleship: Come grow
in the Lord with us
