December 12, 2018
Wednesday, 2nd Week of Advent
1ST Reading:
Zec 2:14-17
Gospel: Lk 1:26–38
The angel Gabriel came to Mary and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean.But the angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever and his reign shall have no end.”Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be if I am a virgin?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child, and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
A certain photographer named Habi Halabi circulated an email detailing his experience at a church in Beirut, Lebanon on February 17, 2004. He said he lighted two candles in a church and proceeded to the altar to pray. Coming back to where he had lighted the two candles he was surprised to see that the wax that dripped from the candles slowly formed the image of Mary.
Curious about the seeming coincidence, he went back to the altar and found a statue of Mary. He took a picture of it and compared the shot with those he had taken from the candles. They were identical. The image was that of the Immaculate Conception. He felt that when he lighted that candle, Mary was also praying with him.
Whether this experience had any miraculous value or not isn’t the point of this column. The experience of Habi Halabi which happened while praying at a church in Beirut is a beautiful illustration of what we believe in Mary’s power of intercession. When we pray, Mary prays with us. Even when we do not pray, Mary prays for us. Our basis is the Biblical account of the wedding at Cana. Without the hosts knowing they had run out of wine, Mary prayed for them before Jesus.
We are in the Season of Advent – a time for prayer and repentance. She is not only our best companion in prayer but also the best model in our preparations for the coming of Christ. After all, when Jesus was born, it was Mary who was most prepared. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M. Email:[email protected].
May comment ka ba sa column ni Father Dan? May tanong ka ba sa kanya? I-type ang BANDERA REACT at i-send sa 4467.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Bandera. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.