Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 1:26-38 “Announcement of the Birth of Jesus“
March 25, 2019 | Monday

Today’s Gospel

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.

Today’s Reflection

All of us truly receive good news but what we response is what truly matters to us. “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me as you have said.” This is the greatest response from our Mother that truly expresses a total commitment and humility toward a call to obey God’s will that fulfills the salvation of the world. We are all called and our “Yes” defines who we are. Mary gave us an example of a leap of faith for she knows that bearing God’s Son will expose her not only with gladness and love but also leads her to so much pain, suffering that she must endure in order to fulfill the will of the Father. She was blessed to have a heart that kept all the words that has been spoken to her by the Angel. Her “Yes’ truly makes a difference in the whole creation and her steadfast faith and love covered her from all the hardships that she will face. We, too, are called and are challenged to become steadfast in fulfilling our “Yes” to the Lord not only in good times but most often during difficult times. The good news of the annunciation is about a God who dwells among us and through the response of the blessed Mother, we too are blessed a hundredfold. We are reminded that every day is good news and we should also be good news to others. Indeed, Good news will pave faith, hope and love in each and every one of us.