FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD
The maiden is with child
The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord
your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from
the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’
Then Isaiah said:
‘Listen now, House of David:
are you not satisfied with trying the patience
of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’
of his body made once
and for all by Jesus Christ.
Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is
what Christ said, on coming into the world:
You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’
Gospel Luke 1:26-38 'I am the handmaid of the Lord'
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; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
He
went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She
was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could
mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s
favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him
Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God
will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of
Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’
Mary said to the angel, ‘But
how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon
you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its
shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this
too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and
she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is
impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you
have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her. Reflections
Pray the Holy Rosary. Blessed Virgin Mary bring us to your Son Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus Christ I trust in you. Saint Joseph pray for us.
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