In The Blessed Virgin Mary, Paradise Is Restored
Introduction
Mary leads the way for all the people who journey toward the Lord. Today the Church applies to Mary, the virgin conceived without sin, the words of the prophet: “I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God.” Why this joy? Because Mary is like the garden of humankind in which God lets the good seed sprout. Because she is the servant of the Lord and the image of what the Church ought to be. God is faithful to his promises and through her he gave us our Savior. Mary is the first and the only one of all people who was kept from sin. She is paradise restored, where God and people encounter one another.
First Reading: The Promise of Victory Over Evil
God condemns the power of evil symbolized by the serpent. He promises that the forces of good in humankind and the world will overcome sin.
1 Reading 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 here 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 dirt 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.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
R. (1) Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Second Reading: Called To Be God’s Children
Before all ages, we have been destined to become God’s daughters and sons, his holy people, through Christ’s salvation.
2 Reading 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.
Alleluia Luke 1:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: The Beginning of the Fulfillment
As the “Favored One of God,” Mary is the prophetic model of those who overcome evil. With her begins the fulfillment of God’s promises. With her, those who are one with Christ will learn to say Yes to God’s plan.
Gospel Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“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, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
Commentary
Once I asked my mother: “If an angel were to appear to you and say ‘you are chosen to be the mother of God,’ would you be willing to accept”? Without pausing for a second, she said, “Of course, why not? Wouldn’t that be a great honor?”
Of course, she would. Any woman would. That’s because they already have the story of Mary to go by—her decision, her blessedness, and her reward. However, it was very different for Mary. She had no precedence to go by. No model to imitate. The angel’s visit was unexpected. She was unsure of where her consent would take her. Between the invitation of Gabriel and the response of Mary was a moment of profound silence, a moment that would have unnerved even the least fainthearted. In that moment, in the darkness of her faith, Mary made her choice. Before she pronounced the words, she willed in her heart and surrendered to whatever God wanted.
We honor Mary who was conceived without the stain of Original Sin. We praise God for her Immaculate Conception. We thank her for her faith, courage, and obedience.
Blessing
To a waiting world Mary gave a Savior,
because she said her YES to God’s plan.
To a world waiting in our day
for meaning and hope,
we can give the peace and justice of Christ,
if we too are willing to say our YES
to God’s Intercessions with us and the world.
For he called us to continue the work
he began in Jesus with the cooperation of Mary.
May we respond to this call
with the blessing of almighty God:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace
and give Christ to the world. R/ Thanks be to God.