Fri 20 December 2024 – 3rd Week of Advent

Fri 20 December 2024 – 3rd Week of Advent

Optional Memorial: St Fachanan (Feast in Kilfenora, where he founded a church in the 6th century. Patron of Kilfenora Diocese.)

1st Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14

King Ahaz refuses to ask a sign of the Lord; Isaiah promises a child to be called Immanuel

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Responsorial: Psalm 23: 1-6

R./: Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm. (R./)

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things. (R./)

He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob. (R./)

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

The annunciation to Mary, who will conceive and give birth to Jesus

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel as sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “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 holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Pondering the Good News

The Annunciation story is full of splendid promise, radiant with a bright future. God’s messenger tells of a coming Saviour: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High… He will reign forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Setting these lines alongside all the other echoes of joy in Luke’s opening chapters, and we have the happy prospect of a God who wants every human being to be saved — to have a share in God’s own endless fullness of life.

Go’s message to Mary met with total acceptance – “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let God’s will done to me.” Knowing herself to be highly favoured, she responds from a glowing heart and with all her soul to her privileged calling. The young woman, Mary of Nazareth, is not simply the mother of Jesus; she is his perfect disciple also, living by his Gospel vision for humanity. Like him, she devotes herself to God’s purpose for her life. The gospel indicates that at first she struggled to discern God’s purpose for her life. She was disturbed by the idea that without having “known” a man (i.e. being a virgin) she could conceive a child and wondered how the angel’s promise could be fulfilled. At the birth of Jesus she would ponder the words of the shepherds. Years later when the boy Jesus went missing in Jerusalem, she puzzled over his words to herself and Joseph. It was her habit to ponder and reflect, to discern what God willed from her at each stage in her life.

We can be inspired by her example. Like Mary we struggle to know what God wants for us in everyday life. We try to generously do what is right, as Mary did, even if we have doubts and questions. One can be faithful without fully knowing what God has in mind for us. As we follow the path of discipleship as Mary did, we look to her for help and ask her to pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death.