Wednesday, December 07, 2011

 

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

DECEMBER 8, 2011
FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
THURSDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

Gn 3:9-15, 20 / Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 / Eph 1:3-6, 11-12 / Lk 1:26-38

GENESIS 3:9-15, 20
After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to the
man and asked him, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the
garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself." Then
he asked, "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" The man replied,
"The woman whom you put her e with me— she gave me fruit from the
tree, and so I ate it." The Lord God then asked the woman, "Why did
you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into
it, so I ate it." Then the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you
have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all
the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dir t shall you
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 at your
head, while you strike at his heel." The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.

EPHESIANS 1:3-6, 11-12
Brothers and sisters: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in
the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the
world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined
us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the
favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he
granted us in the beloved. In him we were also chosen, destined in
accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things
according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the
praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

LUKE 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.

REFLECTION
Today, the entire Catholic Church celebrates with joy and exultation
the feast of the Immaculate Concepcion. "Sing to the Lord a new song,
for He has done a marvelous thing," (Pa 98:1) Yes, marvelous indeed is
His call to Mary, a woman of Israel, born pure and immaculate. The
Lord God chose her to be the Mother of His Son. This is a sign of
God's gratuitous and immeasurable love for Mar y and also of mankind.

When Mary heard the angel's greeting, she was greatly troubled, but
the angel assured her of the action of the Holy Spirit. "Do not be
afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God… you will conceive in
your womb and bear a son, and you shall call him Jesus…" Who would not
be greatly troubled? The angel continued: "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you; the power of the most high will overshadow you. The child to
be born will be called holy, the Son of God." How could Mary say "no?"
All her life, she was just a simple, available, listening woman at
tuned to the Father's will. Total availability seems to be part of her
innermost being. "I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me
according to your words." Although Mary did not know how far God would
take her, she surrendered herself completely, trusting and loving God.

We are invited to follow her example to open ourselves to the action
of the Holy Spirit that we may become instruments of salvation.

Mary, be our guide in today's world so that we may become more
available to God and thankful for the wonders of His love.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Jo Marcelo
- Mon Torres
- Eden Batuto
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Ely Lara
- Francis Santos
… for the personal intentions of
- Carlos and Emma Q
- Dr Ugonna Anyaugo, Mr Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr (Mrs)Barbara Adaugo
Okoronkwo, Barr Obinna Okoronkwo, Ifeanyi Mathias Anyaugo, Chuba
Osinachi Anyaugo
- Josheil Dapo
- Titong V
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Ma. Lourdes Lao Jucutan
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Sis. Emma de Guzman
- Birthday: Jun V. Morabe
- Birthday: Rev. Fr. Mario Cueto
- Wedding Anniversary: Charlene & Manolette Carlos
- Thanksgiving: Domeng, Virgie, Hazel, Gielyn, Merbert
- Prayer Intention: Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary -1996
- In Memoriam (+): Chua Chen
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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