Today’s Scripture Readings

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him 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 ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 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 holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

On this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we are drawn into the mystery of Mary, the mother of the Saviour of the world. In Mary, we see the beauty of a woman who lived a life fully open to God, becoming a gateway through which salvation would enter the world.

In today’s reading from Luke, the angel Gabriel brings a message that Mary could accept or refuse. And yet, in freedom, in trust, in astonishing courage, Mary says ‘yes.’

Her ‘yes’ was a leap of faith and taken in complete trust. And it shows us the way. It shows us how to trust in what we do not fully understand. To put our hopes not in ourselves, but in Christ. To believe that God’s Word, spoken into the smallness of our lives, can bring forth something new.

Mary’s response is an active surrender of love. She fully opens her heart to God’s plan, knowing God is faithful. In doing so, she becomes the model of every disciple, of everyone who dares to say ‘yes’ to God even amid life’s uncertainties.

This is our calling: to make our own ‘yes’, to welcome Christ not just in Advent but every day, to allow God’s Word to be born in us through our actions, our love, and our faithfulness. Mary’s ‘yes’ opened the door for the hope of the world. Now, it is our turn, in the small and hidden choices of daily life, to echo her words: “let it be with me according to your word.”