"For God, nothing will be impossible"

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38     

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" 35 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 child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible."38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

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Reflection: Today the feast of the Immaculate Conception we honor Mother Mary as one conceived without sin. Being "full of grace" means that she has been singularly blessed with grace to be born without sin.This should be so because the Son of God is to be in her womb. But more than honoring Mama Mary, we give praise and glory to God for His wonderful work of giving us the Blessed Mother as an instrument of bringing His Son to us.  

We could find inspiration in the faith, courage and obedience that our blessed mother has shown in the Annunciation. What the Angel Gabriel said has caused her to be "greatly troubled". This could mean that she was filled with fear because she does not fully understand what was about to happen to her. This is a natural reaction for anyone, because we all fear the unknown. But her faith and love for God gave her courage to obey, and her obedience paved the way for God's plan of redemption to fully unfold. Mary believed that God's ways are truly wonderful, and nothing is impossible with Him. 

Obedience to God will cause us to experience His grace and power in our lives, in the same way disobedience will separate us from it. Mary's faith, courage and obedience is a model for all of us. If we want to bring good into this world and our lives, it is necessary to have faith and courage to obey God's will.

"Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for your souls"

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

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Reflection:  A yoke is a device fitted on two oxens to join them at the neck so they could pull a load together, this makes their work easier and more productive. A yoke is usually used as a symbol of a burden or a load. When Jesus invites us to take His yoke, He does not mean for us to be burdened but rather so He could join us in carrying our burdens! What a wonderful invitation from the Lord! We could all be sure that in the midst of the trials of life, as long as we lift up our burdens to God, all will be well, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

The yoke of Jesus can also mean following His will, which is difficult at times. But then we know that we carry it with the Lord, and if you carry it out in faith and love, life would be much more joyful and peaceful than if you followed your own will. To trust in Jesus is to know that His will is perfect for us and His yoke is fitted well to make life much more beautiful for us.

The Lord wants you to bring your burdens to Him so He could help you carry them. What will your answer be?

"According to your faith be it done to you"

Scripture: Matthew 9:27-31

27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to him, "Yes, Lord." 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you." 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, "See that no one knows it." 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

Christ Healing the Blind Man
El Greco

Reflection: Our lack of faith in God causes us to be blind to His power to do wonders in our lives. Our own sinfulness and constant disobedience may cause us to think that God is fed up with us. It's true that sin causes us to be separated from God's grace, but God does not give up on us. He unceasingly calls us to conversion and union with Him. God's mercy is infinite and beyond our limited understanding as humans. If we find it hard to forgive, God does not. He desires to forgive, but first we have to do our part--- repent and turn away from sin.

The blind men did not limit their faith, instead they believed in the mercy of God. Jesus did not just felt compassion, but He was able to experience deeply what the blind men were feeling. In the same way, Jesus knows that being enslaved by sin is the worst thing that could happen to any human being. For this reason, He made the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation.

God asks us to be confident in His mercy. The first step to conversion is believing that God will accept our repentance, forgive our sins and help us turn away from it by His grace.