Bible Diary

Daily Reading

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

LECTIONARY
196

FIRST READING

IS 7:10-14

The LORD spoke to Ahaz:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary men,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.

PSALM

PS 24:1-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

Response: Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

GOSPEL

LK 1:26-38

In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"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 called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

Daily Reflection

The Incarnation (Jesus being fully divine and fully human) has always been difficult for many to comprehend and so they are quick to dismiss it.

In the Gospel, today, we have the account of the Annunciation of the birth of Jesus where Mary is told that she will conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not that the Holy Spirit would contribute as would a human father. This overshadowing of the Holy Spirit was first heard of in the first book of the Bible. In Genesis we read that when the earth was a formless void, the Holy Spirit hovered over creation bringing life and order. We are later reminded of how the Tabernacle was overshadowed by a cloud (believed to be God’s Spirit) which is why the Tabernacle has since been held as the place where God dwells. Mary, at the Annunciation, is being prepared to become the living Tabernacle bearing the presence of God’s Word made Flesh to dwell among us.

At the Annunciation, Mary willingly accepted to let God enter her life. At each Eucharist, listening to the Word and receiving Holy Communion we too accept God into our lives.

Today, we ask the Lord to make us more aware of His awesome presence in our lives.