"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.