Immaculate Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary
08th December 2023 (Friday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 1
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Genesis 3:9-15, 20
[After Adam had eaten of the tree,] The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And 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 of 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 of 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 deceived me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on 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 her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. “The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 (R. 1ab)
R/. O sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders.
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, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Luke 1:26-38
At that time: The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name 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 father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered 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 called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Highlight: Through a stainless virgin!
Guidlines: To be immaculate is to consecrate oneself to God and to concentrate whole life on God{alertSuccess}
1. Today on 08 December we solemnise the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was officially defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854. It refers, not to the immaculate conception of Jesus in Mary's womb, but refers to the "immaculate conception of Mary" in her mother's womb.
2. The Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race was preserved free from any stain of original sin, and was in the state of sanctifying grace.
3. Therefore, the angel Gabriel said: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28) Even if all are thrown into the situation of sin, and all are exposed to sin, she has been preserved by God from its stain.
4. She is without sin, by the grace of Christ in a special way, by anticipation. A simple metaphor can clarify the point of her "rescue". All are saved by Christ from the deep pit of sin, having fallen into it; while Mary was saved by Christ from the same pit, but was prevented from falling into it.
5. Therefore, the Immaculate Conception of Mary provides us with some lessons: Even though Mary was preserved from sin, she still had to struggle constantly to preserve and bear witness to it. Immaculateness was a free gift, but she had to constantly strive to deserve it.
6. Therefore, the Immaculate Conception of Mary also calls us for constancy and consistency in our struggle against sin, in preserving ourselves from the stain of sin, and in the state of purity of grace. It is not for a moment, or some days, but for life, from the womb to the grave.
7. The Immaculate Conception of Mary reminds us and guides us in our destiny. It is God's will and plans that we live and stand before him as holy and blameless. God conceived us immaculately in his eternal destiny. The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a powerful sign that God is serious about His saving plan and has already begun it in Mary.
8. The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a powerful call of the hour, against impurity. It is a call for a struggle of life full of the grace of purity, against the overwhelming assaults of sin. Especially in our times
9. When innocence or immaculateness are considered ignorance or madness or incompetence, where distortions and cunningness are exalted as the "craft of the day", and the norm of life, we as children of the Immaculate Mother, are called to fight to keep us not polluted by sin and to preserve ourselves pure and immaculate.
10. The way of surrender is the way of being immaculate. Mary shows us the way to be holy and blameless with her way of surrender. Mary in her total abandonment to God, from the initial act of response to the end, throughout her life, fully lives the grace of the Immaculate Conception.
11. Mary in her immaculate conception is also a comforting assurance for us, who will be our guard and guide, companion, and collaborator in the same search for holiness and salvation. Of course, the power of sin and the forces of evil will never be dormant.
12. But Mary instills in us trust and courage, hope, a resolution, comfort, and support that with her and in abandonment to God, we will never lose the battle.
13. The Immaculate Conception is a call for an integral holistic life: We do not love sin; We do not conceive sin; We do not accept sin; Let us not be deceived by sin; Let us not be enchanted by sin.
14. Living without sin is possible only when we live with the Son. Being immaculate is only possible when we live in intimacy with God, cooperate with his plans, rejuvenate his life in us, lovingly associate with the Mother, and imitate the Son.
Practice: Beauty of life consists only in purity of heart and propriety of action{alertSuccess}