Monday,
December 09, 2013
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1st Reading:
Gen 3:9–15, 20 2nd Reading: Eph 1:3–6, 11–12
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 the 17th of February 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 what he saw, he went back to the altar to take a picture of the statue of Mary to compare the shot with those he had taken from the candles. They were identical. The image was that of the Immaculate Conception.
We marvel about how the experience reinforces our belief that Mary is there whenever we pray. Mary is an indispensable companion at prayer. As in civil law where a person should come to the courts with clean hands no one should stand before God with sullied hands. Mary bails us out from this limitation because she is immaculate. Born sinless she lends to us some semblance of worthiness each time we pray.
The candle wax that formed the image of Mary while Habi was praying enriches our reflection further. Something in Mary is expended each time we pray because she does not only lend us her presence at prayer but also gives of herself wholeheartedly.
It is in this sense that we can say that Mary’s Immaculate Conception is a gift to all, especially to those who always pray. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email:[email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.
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