Wednesday, December 8th
Scripture
Gn 3: 9-15, 20
Ps 98: 1-4
Eph 1: 3-6, 11-12
Lk 1: 26-38
Reflection
“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…” And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Holy One’s handmaid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.” Luke 1: 35 & 38
I have to confess that the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary has never been one that I felt drawn to. It’s not a quarrel with Mary being born without sin, but rather that it seems to diminish the sacredness of human intimacy and the miracle of birth. So, as I was reflecting on this gospel, I found myself wondering about how it’s been interpreted over the centuries, and how we might read it with new eyes in 2021.
What if we read it with the eyes of the new cosmology, and deep faith in our God of extravagant love and compassion? With a heart that truly knows that the Holy Spirit has come upon every one of us, and that we are all overshadowed by the power of the “Most High?” What if, in response to that knowing, you, me, all of us responded wholeheartedly with Mary’s words—I’m ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say—to whatever our lives bring us today by way of an opportunity to be God’s love and compassion present wherever we are? What an amazing fiat I/we could give. What a difference I/we would make in our world.
Prayer
Source of Being, grant me the grace and courage to live my own fiat to you, in whatever circumstances I find myself in this day.
Personal Challenge
I will try to see each person I meet today as an expression and reflection of your love and compassion.
Sister Christine Parks, CSJ
Kalamazoo, MI
