Luke 1:26-38 NRSVue
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”, 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He 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. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35The 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. 36And 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. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then 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.
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Reflection on Luke 1:26-38
Inspiration from 2025-12-20 Daily Prayer
Yesterday, we found ourselves with Zechariah and noticed how his doubt and scepticism almost threw a spanner in the works. In today’s scene, Our Lady reacts in an altogether different manner. Even though she has no clear picture of what God is asking her to do, or what the implications of those actions might mean for her, her general orientation is to say ‘yes’ to whatever is being offered by God. Her generosity of spirit facilitates God’s arrangements rather than obstructing them.
Further reflection
When a woman in the crowd cried to Jesus: Blessed is the womb that bore you, he replied, Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it. First of these was his mother, who said Let it be with me according to your word. We remember her words whenever we pray the Angelus.
Lord, this is not an easy prayer to make. You prayed it yourself in Gethsemane in a sweat of blood: Not my will but yours be done. Help me to make it the pattern of my life. What issues of surrender and trust does it raise for me?
The angel's message troubled Mary. It was leading her into uncharted waters, into a life of unimaginable risk. She is willing to take the risk, and to trust God's invitation.
Lord, you ask me too to be your presence in the world. Your will be done.
Christmas highlights the belief that God is in all of us. We can ignore that, or we can help God be found in all of us. God is often deeply hidden, and God is active through each of us for each other. In the visit of Mary, God came close to Elizabeth in the ordinary and homely moments of every day. These Advent and Christmas days give us the space to allow the huge eternal mystery become part of the everyday.