“For nothing will be impossible for God.” — Luke 1:3
LOST TICKET
I
was about to go home when I realized that the parking ticket was
missing from my pocket. Wah! A P20.00 ticket will turn into a P200
charge plus all the hassle of accomplishing registration documents!
“Lord, nothing is impossible. Please let the ticket be returned to me,”
I prayed. I went back to the mall with no idea where to start. I hummed
a worship song, eyes on the ground, until… voila! A tiny folded paper
from afar. Could it be my ticket? I picked it up and yes! It was my
ticket! Thank you, Lord!
A year later, just as I was sharing this incident, it happened again.
It could have slipped from my pocket. I smiled and prayed “Sorry, Lord,
it happened again, but I know we can find it.” I went back where we
dined, and there it was! Amazing!
When I ask God if He will love me no matter what, He gives
me a promise, “If you can find that very small folded paper in the
middle of a very large mall, I will always find you no matter how big
the world may seem to you.”
Nothing is impossible for God. He who created everything can do anything. Dreus Cosio
1ST READING
Isaiah
prophesies deliverance for the city of Jerusalem from the besieging
armies of Assyria. It is important for us to hear this message as
Matthew will interpret it as a prophecy of the deliverance of the people
of God from their sins when Jesus is born to the Virgin Mary. Maybe
this is not the literal meaning of the words of Isaiah, but they are
certainly within the ambit of the spiritual meaning as inspired by the
Holy Spirit in the mind of Matthew.
Isaiah 7:10-14
10 The Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!” 12 But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” 13 Then Isaiah said: “Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”
P S A L M
Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R: Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
1 The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. 2 For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (R) 3 Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? Or who may stand in his holy place? 4 He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. (R) 5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his savior. 6 Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. (R)
GOSPEL
The
easiest and best way to call down the grace of God in our lives is to
be obedient to His calling. God must provide for us the grace to do His
will if we accept it in our lives, because this is what He has promised
to do. Let us never doubt the promises of God; let us always be obedient
to His will! If we do these two things, I am sure our lives will be
filled with God’s blessings — not just for ourselves, but for others as
well.
Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 35 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. 36 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; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 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
SAYING YES TO GOD
The
story told by Luke is ancient yet ever new. A virgin is visited by an
angel of God and is called to accept the call to be the mother of God’s
Son. Artists have given their impression, hymnists have revealed their
meditations in poetry and song, and now, we, too, are called to offer our reflections and praise on this providence of God. For a long time, I used to meditate on the scene. Now I find myself reflecting on the response of Mary. How did Mary respond? Luke shows in a very beautiful and progressive way the opening up of Mary’s response to the angel.
Mary is at first troubled by the greeting. This is lessened as the angel describes
Mary as full of grace. She then proceeds to question the angel as to
how this will come about. The angel answers the question with the
assurance of God’s will. In the end, Mary responds wholeheartedly to the
request made by the angel. God had already begun the work in her. It
was up to Mary to willingly respond to the grace at hand.
The mystery of God becoming man is an affirmation of the angel’s message
that nothing is impossible for God. Similarly, St. Paul states that
nothing can separate us from the love of God. Jesus, in His conversation
with
the rich man, states that nothing is impossible for God. This is what
we have to get our heads around. God is God, He alone created the
heavens and the earth, He alone suffices the human restlessness — He redeems, He saves
and He loves. The annunciation to Mary is redemption and salvation made
manifest. Mary’s response should inspire us. We, too, have been called
to say yes to the will of God. For some, we are still discovering God’s will. For others, we are fulfilling it right now by our lives and vocations as religious, parent, teacher, colleague in business, etc.
Let us respond wholeheartedly as was in the case of Mary. We may be
overwhelmed with our weaknesses and inability to respond well. But at
least we can make a start by saying yes to God. Know and learn that God
will do the rest. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL
"Lord, You know I love You. Let Your holy and perfect will be fulfilled in me. Amen."
Source: http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2013-12-20
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