Thy Will Be Done

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
08 December 2018

First reading                                                                  Genesis 3:9-15, 20
The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

Second reading                                                    Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

Gospel                                                                     Luke 1:26-38

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, you 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.

Reflection

By Fely Santiago

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

This Gospel reading will always have a special place in my heart. Twenty-eight years ago being new in the Ignatian Spirituality under our Magis Deo Marriage Encounter Community we were introduced to Ignatian Contemplation; a type of prayer that uses our imagination as a place of encounter with Jesus and oneself. I was 7 months pregnant at that time for the 5th child but had a stillborn baby 3 years before and 2 miscarriages 2 years and 1 year before. So even if I was 5 times pregnant only 1 was still alive! I was really anxious and worried thinking we might lose this baby again. I was so afraid. So during our community prayer gathering, Fr Ruben Tanseco, SJ our Spiritual Director asked us to contemplate on this passage, imagining that I was in the scene with the actual encounter with the angel and Mama Mary. While deep into contemplation I was really struck and heard the word “do not be afraid Fely”. I really cried because I felt the loving presence of God comforting me and assuring me that everything will be alright with my pregnancy. I left that prayer meeting fully at peace. I totally trusted God and surrendered to His will.

And yes God was true to His promise because after 2 months I delivered a normal, strong, healthy and beautiful baby girl! We were really rejoicing to see our baby girl. Our family was complete. This baby is now a lady actively serving the Lord leading the Youth Ministry before and now leading Worship at The Feast PICC. What a blessing indeed!

Just like Mama Mary, let us trust the Lord and be ready to say “Yes” to Him. To be able to do this we need humility and obedient to God’s will. We are all His favored children and have the best plans for us.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may we grow each day in trusting your amazing annunciation to us that we are your favored one. We should not be afraid. In the busyness of life and especially during this coming Christmas season, keep these thoughts before us. Like Mama Mary, may we be ready to play our part in welcoming You and sharing the love You brought to this world. 
Mama Mary thank you for always being there to intercede for us. Thank you for bringing us closer to your son, Jesus. You are the best model of obedience and humility. 
Thank you, Jesus and Mama Mary. Amen.