Are You A Loyal Child?

9 Dec

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”  (Lk 1:38)

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.   The Feast, actually, is on December 8th.  However, when it falls on a Sunday of Advent, the Sunday liturgy takes precedence and the Feast is moved to the following day.

We believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin.  This dogma was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854.

Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin so that she would be a worthy vessel to bear Jesus into our world.

However, being preserved from the stain of original sin did not revoke Mary’s free will.  Each and every one of us choose.  We make choices each day.  When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and invited her to become the mother of the Lord, she could have said “No.”

But Mary was not only preserved from the stain of original sin, she was also a woman full of grace.  She had been raised to be a devout daughter of God, a handmaid of the Lord.  She took her faith and her God quite seriously.  Which is why, even though she did not fully understand all that the angel was saying, she replied “Yes” to God’s invitation.

We are the servants of the Lord as well.

We may not have been born without the stain of original sin; however, original sin was washed away from our soul by virtue of our baptism.  We were filled with grace at that time and continue to receive God’s grace daily, most especially when we participate in the sacraments.

God invites us to faithfulness and trust.

What will our answer be today?

FAITH ACTION:  Read the story of the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38).  Put yourself in Mary’s shoes.  How would you feel?  How would you react?

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.