8 December, 2023 | Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 Gospel Lk 1:26-38

Get to know about this feast
Gospel Text:

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.

Reflections:

Today our Mother Church celebrates the great Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Our simple minds may not totally comprehend what this really means but let us give a thought to what the Apostolic Constitution issued by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854 says, “. . . by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, (Mary) was preserved free from all stain of original sin. . .” . And while we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother, the Liturgy of the Word celebrates the Promise of a Saviour and its Fulfilment. In the first reading, we have the promise of a saviour after the fall of humanity in Adam and Eve, and in the gospel, the Saviour begins dwelling on earth in the womb of Mary when she said, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” And isn’t it wonderful that although we are not singularly chosen to bear Christ the way Mary did, we do bear Christ in our hearts, and like Mary our Mother, give him to the world?

Activity: 

Let us spend some time during the day to ask ourselves, ‘which way do I bear Christ?’ Let us also pray to the Blessed Mother and ask for her help to able to do God’s will no matter what it takes.