THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.

Today’s Gospel (Luke 1:26-38) reading highlights for us how crucial Mary’s yes was to God’s plan of salvation. It shows how Mary wasn’t just a docile participant in this plan: she freely offered herself to God as his handmaid, as a servant of a very lowly status. This unique woman, who was conceived without original sin, did more than just consent to having Jesus take shape in her womb for nine months. She allowed him to change the trajectory of her entire life! From the moment she said yes, Mary was no longer only the wife of Joseph. She became the mother of all believers.

Reflecting on Mary’s openness to her new calling, Pope Francis once said, “Immediately upon receiving the Angel’s announcement,” Mary “went to share the gift of her fruitfulness with her relative Elizabeth” (Angelus, December 8, 2014). Mary wasted no time in living out her new vocation!

The Holy Father went on to say how the same holds true for us. God wants to “make of us a gift for others,” just as he did for Mary. And how do we do this? By allowing the Spirit to make us “instruments of acceptance, instruments of reconciliation, instruments of forgiveness.” In short, by treating the people around us with the same love and mercy that Jesus has shown us.

Take time today to reflect on the life of this humble girl from Nazareth. How can you imitate her willingness to give what she received? Especially during this season, when tensions between family members can run high, how can you act as an instrument of reconciliation, welcome, or healing? A listening ear, an offer of prayer, a readiness to forgive—it doesn’t take much to be a channel of God’s grace. That’s because the grace comes from God, not from you. You’re simply giving away the gift that he has freely given to you.

“Lord, make me your servant! Help me to be like Mary, an instrument of your grace and presence to the people around me.”

Genesis 3:9-15, 20
Psalm 98:1-4
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
Luke 1:26-38