March 25, 2014
Tuesday, Annunciation
of the Lord 1st Reading:
Is 7:10–14; 8:10
2nd Reading: Heb 10:4–10
Gospel: Lk 1:26–38
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was (…) sent to a young virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel came to her 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)
Msgr. Bruno Forte, Archbishop of the Italian Diocese of Chieti-Vasto wrote a pastoral letter in 2006 on the theme “Reconciliation and the Beauty of God”. He said that in sending his Son with human flesh, God showed preference to “encounter us through a direct contact that passes through the signs and language of our human condition”. In other words God came out of himself in humility to meet us at our level – the level of the flesh. But we must also do our part of coming out from the clutches of the flesh to meet God.
Humility is the official language at this meeting. It was God who first used this language when his Son took the form of the flesh. Humanity must likewise speak this language for the encounter to bear fruit. The most opportune time to speak this language is the time of Confession. Indeed there is nothing more humbling than confessing to a priest who may even be more sinful than his penitent. This act of humility is important to the Lord. For this he empowered Peter to forgive sins and even went to the extent of declaring that heaven will not forgive those sins that Peter won’t (Jn. 20:23).
When we match God’s humility with our humble submission to the Sacrament of Confession, the Word can take flesh in us. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website:www.frdan.org.
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