Year of Saint Joseph
Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"
Readings of the Day
RB: Ch 55:15-22 Clothing and Footwear
Mass: Gn 3:9-15, 20; Resp Ps 98; Eph 1:3-6, 11-12; Lk 1:26-38
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
MARY, QUEEN CONCEIVED WITHOUT ORIGINAL SIN,
PRAY FOR US.
What has been going through my heart this morning is gratitude. How blessed are we with our faith tradition, and especially today as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. With Saint Paul we proclaim: "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" (Eph 1:3-4). In the words of Pope Saint Paul II, then, "today let us contemplate the humble girl of Nazareth, holy and blameless before God in love, in that 'love' whose original source is God Himself, one and triune." What follows is last year's reflection with a few changes. It works.
The hymn "Immaculate Mary" comes to mind this morning: Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing, you reign now in splendor with Jesus our King. Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Maria. It is helpful to turn to the words of Pope Bl Pius IX in his 1854 Encyclical Letter Ineffabilis deus for the Church's teaching on the Immaculate Conception:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.
On this glorious celebration, a holy day of obligation, the patronal feast of our country, and still in the Year of Saint Joseph, we look to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who "by the grace of God remained free from every personal sin her whole life long" (CCC 493) to pray for us, and help us on our pilgrim journey of faith. God is patient and ever merciful. He waits for us to turn away from sin and turn towards Him. Dear Lord, may it be done to me according to your word (Lk 1:38). Remember, "nothing will be impossible for God" (Lk 1:37).
In heaven the blessed your glory proclaim; On earth we your children invoke your fair name. Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Maria. We pray for our Mother, the Church upon earth, And bless, Holy Mary, the land of our birth. Ave, Ave, Ave, Maria! Ave, Ave, Maria.
The uncontaminated beauty of our Mother is incomparable, but at the same time it attracts us. Let us entrust ourselves to her and say 'no' to sin and 'yes' to Grace once and for all.
(Pope Francis, Angelus Address, December 8, 2020)
MARY, SEAT OF WISDOM,
JOSEPH, CHASTE GUARDIAN OF THE VIRGIN,
PRAY FOR US.
Today's photo: This is the one I was looking for, fitting with today's Responsorial Psalm. From the archives, Dreigestirn Mountains, Switzerland, what dear Kornelia used to see out her window at Kloster Melchtal. I remember the beautiful Benedictine Sisters of Melchtal, now joined with the Benedictine Sisters at Sarnen, and the Sisters of Maria Rickenbach too. For their health and well-being, and that includes dear Kornelia, we pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
© Gertrude Feick 2021
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