December 12, 2022

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Lk 1: 26-38

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, favored 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 favor 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 forever, 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.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

Gratitude For the Unimaginable

When we think of the unimaginable, our minds tend toward the dark side - the loss of a child, a terminal diagnosis, a horrible accident. But today’s Gospel invites us into the other side of the unimaginable, the side that calls for joy and celebration, the side that reminds us of the unimaginable breadth and depth of God’s love and mercy for us. For both Mary and Elizabeth, pregnancy was unimaginable, albeit for very different reasons. A barren woman, advanced in years, six months pregnant - unimaginable. A young virgin pregnant with the Son of Man - unimaginable. 

Our lives are full of the unimaginable, the kind that calls for joy and celebration - a clean bill of health after months of chemo and radiation, a healthy pregnancy after years of infertility, a passing grade after months of academic struggle. Take a moment to recall some of the joyful, celebratory “unimaginables” in your life. Say a prayer of gratitude for all of the unimaginable ways that God graces us with love and mercy. 

—Jackie Schulte is the Dean of Faculty Formation at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska. 

 

 

Prayer

Oh, Lord my God,
You called me from the sleep of nothingness
merely because in your tremendous love
you want to make good and beautiful beings.
You have called me by my name in my mother’s womb.
You have given me breath and light and movement
and walked with me every moment of my existence.

I am amazed, Lord God of the universe,
that you attend to me and, more, cherish me.
Create in me the faithfulness that moves you,
and I will trust you and yearn for you all my days.

Amen.

—Joseph Tetlow, SJ

Please share the Good Word with your friends!