Angel Gabriel announces Virgin Mary’s conception of Jesus

December 8, 2015

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saints of the Day:  Saint Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran (1832-1869),   Saint Patapius, Hermit

Reading 1

Genesis 3:9-15, 20

9After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the LORD God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” 10He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.”

11Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then,

from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”

12The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me - she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”

13The 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.”

14Then 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. 15I 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.”[1]

20The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.[2]

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

R. (1) Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous deeds.

1Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for Him, His holy arm.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous deeds.

2The LORD has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice. 3aHe has remembered His kindness and His faithfulness

3btoward the house of Israel.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous deeds.

3cAll the ends of the earth have seen 3dthe salvation by our God. 4Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

Reading 2

Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

3Brothers 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, 4as He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him. In love 5He destined us for adoption to Himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of His will, 6for the praise of the glory of His grace

that He granted us in the beloved.

11In 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, 12so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

Alleluia SEE Luke 1:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 1:26-38 

26The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,[3] 27to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” 29But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

30Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32He 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,[4] 33and He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end.”

34But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be,[5] since I have no relations with a man?”

35And 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.

36And 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;[6] 37for nothing will be impossible for God.”

38Mary 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. 

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Notes on Readings:

[1] Genesis 3:15 - He will strike . . . at his heel: since the antecedent for he and his is the collective noun offspring, that is, all the descendants of the woman, a more exact rendering of the sacred writer's words would be, "They will strike . . . at their heels." However, later theology saw in this passage more than unending hostility between snakes and men. The serpent was regarded as the devil (Wisdom 2:24; John 8:44; Revelation 12:9; 20:2), whose eventual defeat seems implied in the contrast between head and heel. Because "the Son of God appeared that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8), the passage can be understood as the first promise of a Redeemer for fallen mankind. The woman's offspring then is primarily Jesus Christ.

[2] Genesis 3:20 - This verse seems to be out of place; it would fit better after Genesis 3:24. The Hebrew name hawwa ("Eve") is related to the Hebrew word hay ("living").

[3] Luke 1:26-38 - The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both the angel Gabriel appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Luke 1:11-12, 26-29) and then told by the angel not to fear (Luke 1:13, 30) . After the announcement is made (Luke 1:14-17, 31-33) the parent objects (Luke 1:18, 34) and a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Luke 1:20, 36). The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Luke 1:32-33) and Son of God (Luke 1:32, 35).

[4] Luke 1:32 - Son of the Most High: compare with Luke 1:76 where John is described as "prophet of the Most High." "Most High" is a title for God commonly used by Luke (Luke 1:35, 76; 6:35; 8:28; Acts 7:48; 16:17). 

[5] Luke 1:34 - Mary's questioning response is a denial of sexual relations and is used by Luke to lead to the angel's declaration about the Spirit's role in the conception of this child (Luke 1:35). According to Luke, the virginal conception of Jesus takes place through the Holy Spirit, the power of God, and therefore Jesus has a unique relationship to Yahweh: He is Son of God.

[6] Luke 1:36-37 - The sign given to Mary in confirmation of the angel's announcement to her is the pregnancy of her aged relative Elizabeth. If a woman past the childbearing age could become pregnant, why, the angel implies, should there be doubt about Mary's pregnancy, for nothing will be impossible for God.