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The reason we can hope to find God is that He is here, engaged all the time in finding us. Every gleam of beauty is a pull toward Him. Every pulse of love is a tendril that draws us in His direction. Every verification of truth links the finite mind up into a Foundational Mind that undergirds us. Every deed of good will points toward a consummate Goodness which fulfills all our tiny
adventures in faith. We can find Him because in Him we live and move and have our being.
- Rufus M. Jones (1863-1948), Pathways to the Reality of God
(Be still. Let God find
you.)
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IS 7:10-14; 8:10; PS 40:7-8A, 8B-9, 10, 11; HEB 10:4-10
LK 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.
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture |
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; hence, the holy Offspring to be born will be called Son of God." —Luke 1:35
The Incarnation is the greatest event in the history of the human race. Thus, most of the world dates its years from the Incarnation.
We
Christians should rejoice in the Incarnation always (see Phil 4:4). When anyone asks us the reason for this hope of ours, we must be ever ready to reply (1 Pt 3:15).
Prayer: Father, I say with Mary: "I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to Your word" (see Lk 1:38).
Promise: "Therefore the
Lord Himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with Child, and bear a Son, and shall name Him Immanuel." —Is 7:14
Praise: "Great will be His dignity and He will be called Son of the Most High" (Lk 1:32).
Presentation Ministries
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Abandonment to Divine Providence - by Jean-Pierre de Caussade God continues
to speak today as He spoke in former times to our fathers when there were no directors as at present, nor any regular method of direction. Then all spirituality was comprised in fidelity to the designs of God, for there was no regular system of guidance in the spiritual life to explain it in detail, nor so many instructions, precepts and examples as there are now. Doubtless our present difficulties render this necessary, but it was not so in the first ages when souls were more simple and
straightforward. Then, for those who led a spiritual life, each moment brought some duty to be faithfully accomplished. Their whole attention was thus concentrated consecutively like a hand that marks the hours which, at each moment, traverses the space allotted to it. Their minds, incessantly animated by the impulsion of divine grace, turned imperceptibly to each new duty that presented itself by the permission of God at different hours of the day. Such were the hidden springs by which the
conduct of Mary was actuated. — Book 1, Chapter 1, Section 1
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