READING OF THE DAY First reading from the Book of Genesis Gn 3:9-15, 20
After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the LORD God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.” The LORD God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.”
The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.
Psalm 98
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord.
Second reading from Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians Eph 1:3-6, 11-12
Brothers and sisters: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Luke 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.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER Today’s liturgical feast celebrates one of the wonders of the history of salvation: the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Even she was saved by Christ, but in an extraordinary way, because God wanted that the mother of his Son not be touched by the misery of sin from the moment of conception. And thus, for the entire course of her earthly life, Mary was free from any stain of sin, she was “full of grace”. (Angelus 8 December 2020)
TONINO BELLO -Mary welcoming Woman The phrase is contained in a text of the Council, and it is splendid for its doctrine and conciseness. It says that, at the Annunciation of the Angel, the Virgin Mary "received in her heart and body the Word of God". In her heart and body. She was, that is, disciple and mother of the Word. Disciple, because she listened to the Word, and kept it forever in her heart. Mother, because she offered her womb to the Word, and cherished it for nine months in the casket of the body. Saint Augustine dares to say that Mary was greater for having welcomed the Word in her heart than for having welcomed it into her womb. Perhaps to deeply understand the beauty of this truth, vocabulary is not enough. It is necessary to recourse to visual expressions. And then there is nothing better than to refer to a famous Oriental icon, depicting Mary with the divine Son Jesus inscribed on her chest. It is called the Virgin of Symbol, but it could be called the Virgin of Welcoming, because with the forearms raised high up, in attitude of offering or surrendering, She appears as the living Symbol of the most gratuitous hospitality. She Welcomed in the heart. That is, She made way in Her thoughts to God's thoughts; but for this reason She didn't feel Herself reduced to silence. She willingly offered the virgin soil of Her spirit to the gerrnination of the Word; but She did not consider Herself to be dispossessed of anything. She joyfully gave Him the most inviolable soil of Her inner life, but without having to reduce the spaces of Her freedom. She gave stable lodging to the Lord in the most secret rooms of Her soul; but She did not feel His presence as a violation of domicile. She welcomed into the body. That is, She felt the physical weight of another being who was taking up residence in her maternal womb. She then adapted her rhythms to those of the Guest. She changed her habits, in function of a task that certainly did not lighten Her life. She consecrated Her days to the gestation of a Creature that would not spare to Her worries and troubles. And since the blessed Fruit of Her womb was the Word of God who was incarnated for the salvation of mankind, She understood that She had contracted with all of Eve's children a debt of welcome that She would pay with promissory notes of tears. She accepted the Word of God in her heart and body. That fundamental hospitality says a lot about the style of Mary, whose thousands of other acceptances the Gospel does not speak of, but which is not difficult for us to understand. No one was ever rejected by Her. And everyone found shelter under Her shadow. From the neighbours of the home to the ancient companions of Nazareth. From Joseph's relatives to youth friends of Her Son . From the poor of the district to the passing pilgrims. From Peter in tears after the betrayal to Judas who perhaps that night couldn't find Her at home... Holy Mary, welcoming woman, help us to welcome the Word into the depths of our hearts. To understand, that is, how You were able to do, the raids of God in our lives. He does not knock on the door to intimidate us the eviction, but to fill our solitude with Light. He does not enter the house to put cuffs on us, but to give us back the taste of true freedom.
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Book of Genesis
Gn 3:9-15, 20
After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
on your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
Psalm 98
Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord.
Second reading from Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians
Eph 1:3-6, 11-12
Brothers and sisters:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
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.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
RispondiEliminaToday’s liturgical feast celebrates one of the wonders of the history of salvation: the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Even she was saved by Christ, but in an extraordinary way, because God wanted that the mother of his Son not be touched by the misery of sin from the moment of conception. And thus, for the entire course of her earthly life, Mary was free from any stain of sin, she was “full of grace”. (Angelus 8 December 2020)
TONINO BELLO -Mary welcoming Woman The phrase is contained in a text of the Council, and it is splendid for its doctrine and conciseness. It says that, at the Annunciation of the Angel, the Virgin Mary "received in her heart and body the Word of God". In her heart and body. She was, that is, disciple and mother of the Word. Disciple, because she listened to the Word, and kept it forever in her heart.
RispondiEliminaMother, because she offered her womb to the Word, and cherished it for nine months in the casket of the body. Saint Augustine dares to say that Mary was greater for having welcomed the Word in her heart than for having welcomed it into her womb. Perhaps to deeply understand the beauty of this truth, vocabulary is not enough. It is necessary to recourse to visual expressions. And then there is nothing better than to refer to a famous Oriental icon, depicting Mary with the divine Son Jesus inscribed on her chest. It is called the Virgin of Symbol, but it could be called the Virgin of Welcoming, because with the forearms raised high up, in attitude of offering or surrendering, She appears as the living Symbol of the most gratuitous hospitality.
She Welcomed in the heart.
That is, She made way in Her thoughts to God's thoughts; but for this reason She didn't feel Herself reduced to silence. She willingly offered the virgin soil of Her spirit to the gerrnination of the Word; but She did not consider Herself to be dispossessed of anything. She joyfully gave Him the most inviolable soil of Her inner life, but without having to reduce the spaces of Her freedom. She gave stable lodging to the Lord in the most secret rooms of Her soul; but She did not feel His presence as a violation of domicile.
She welcomed into the body. That is, She felt the physical weight of another being who was taking up residence in her maternal womb. She then adapted her rhythms to those of the Guest. She changed her habits, in function of a task that certainly did not lighten Her life. She consecrated Her days to the gestation of a Creature that would not spare to Her worries and troubles. And since the blessed Fruit of Her womb was the Word of God who was incarnated for the salvation of mankind, She understood that She had contracted with all of Eve's children a debt of welcome that She would pay with promissory notes of tears. She accepted the Word of God in her heart and body. That fundamental hospitality says a lot about the style of Mary, whose thousands of other acceptances the Gospel does not speak of, but which is not difficult for us to understand. No one was ever rejected by Her.
And everyone found shelter under Her shadow.
From the neighbours of the home to the ancient companions of Nazareth. From Joseph's relatives to youth friends of Her Son . From the poor of the district to the passing pilgrims. From Peter in tears after the betrayal to Judas who perhaps that night couldn't find Her at home...
Holy Mary, welcoming woman, help us to welcome the Word into the depths of our hearts. To understand, that is, how You were able to do, the raids of God in our lives. He does not knock on the door to intimidate us the eviction, but to fill our solitude with Light. He does not enter the house to put cuffs on us, but to give us back the taste of true freedom.