Luke 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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have freed me from slavery to sin and introduced me into your divine life as your child. Help me to imitate Mary, your immaculate daughter, and attain the holiness to which you have called me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Mother of the People of God: Mary, the Immaculate Conception, is our mother. She is full of grace from the first moment of her existence. Since grace makes us like Christ, Mary is the most perfect expression of Christ’s action that transforms our humanity. She is the feminine manifestation of all that Christ’s grace can accomplish in a human being (Mater Populi Fidelis, 1). Mary shared in Christ’s saving work and victory over the ancient serpent (see Genesis 3:15). She is truly the Daughter of Zion who received and transmited the joy of salvation. She cooperated in Christ’s work of redemption through faith and obedience, so that the faithful might be born in the Church. In this way, she is called the “Mother of the Faithful People of God.”

2. Redeemed by Christ: Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. This dogma, defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX, “highlights the primacy and unicity of Christ in the work of Redemption, for it teaches that Mary — the first to be redeemed — was herself redeemed by Christ and transformed by the Spirit, prior to any possible action of her own. From this special condition of being the first redeemed by Christ and the first transformed by the Holy Spirit, Mary is able to cooperate more intensely and profoundly with Christ and the Spirit, becoming the prototype, model, and exemplar of what God wants to accomplish in every person who is redeemed” (Mater Populi Fidelis, 14). Mary’s cooperation in the work of salvation is the fruit of the initiative of God the Father, who looked upon Mary’s lowliness, it springs from the self-emptying of the Son, who humbled himself by taking the form of a servant, and it is the effect of the grace of the Holy Spirit, who prepared Mary’s heart to respond at the Annunciation and throughout her entire life in communion with her Son (Mater Populi Fidelis, 15).

3. Mary in the Unique Mediation of Christ: Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5-6). But Christ’s unique mediation is also mysteriously inclusive: “He enables various forms of participation in his salvific plan because, in communion with him, we can all become, in some way, cooperators with God and ‘mediators’ for one another (see 1 Corinthians 3:9)” (Mater Populi Fidelis, 28). Christ has the power to elevate his brothers and sisters to make them capable of a genuine cooperation in the accomplishment of his plans. Mary’s mediation takes place in a maternal way. Her spiritual motherhood springs from her physical motherhood of the Son of God: “By physically bearing Christ — through her free, believing acceptance of that mission — Mary also, in faith, gave birth to all Christians who are members of the Mystical Body of Christ” (Mater Populi Fidelis, 35). As our mother, she intercedes for us. Mary accompanies our prayers from heaven with her maternal intercession (see Mater Populi Fidelis, 41).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you saved your mother and preserved her from the stain of original sin. She responded to your grace perfectly. I desire to imitate her as best I can and, with your grace, to grow in holiness and perfection.

Living the Word of God: How can I better imitate my mother, Mary, who lived a holy life? What are the main temptations that I give in to? How can I better cooperate with God’s grace to do good works of charity and mercy?