“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.”
O Antiphon: O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!
Today’s Reading: Lk 1:26-3
…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….
Reflection: T-r-u-s-t. Those are five letters that might be that hardest ones for us to accept. Those words of Angel Gabriel to Mary, frightened teen, are words to all of us. As we enter this last week of Advent, the daily Scripture shows us again and again examples of God challenging, and people accepting, trusting. We hear that challenge and response all through the Old Testament, and at the beginning of Jesus’ life on earth. Each of these biblical figures is called into the unknown, they are men and women, sung and unsung.
Lucky for us, faith is a gift from God. We just need to open our hearts and minds to it.
Let us pray: Lord, increase my faith! Help me to see past my doubt and to put my trust in you. Help me to put that trust to work in the world.