A WORD FOR TODAY 8 DECEMBER 2020

A WORD FOR TODAY

THE LORD CHOSE MARY AND SHE SAID YES

_"And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her."(Luke 1:38)_

Today the universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of theImmaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception holds that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin, that twist in our nature that makes our will tend not to follow what it knows to be right.

_It was this grace that enabled Mary to say a sincere and honest “Yes” to the demand, conveyed by the Angel Gabriel, that she should consent to be the mother of the Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ. The doctrine was formally defined as a dogma of faith in the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1854._

In first reading of today we see how our first parents Adam and Eve disobeyed God and fell out of grace. They sinned by their own choice and we all inherited the original sin from them. However, as a result of the plan of God to redeem humanity, our Mother Mary was preserved from the original sin and she was conceived immaculately.

_Our Mother Mary became the new Eve whose 'Yes' and obedience to God's will was very instrumental in the fulfilment of His plan for the salvation of humanity. She said yes to God and the word became flesh in her and dwelt among us._

She found favour with God and God was with her in all that she did from birth to when her earthly existence came to an end. The gospel reading narrates the story of how the Angel gave her the Good News and she accepted it and allowed God's will to be done in her life. She is a perfect example to us in obedience and humility and if we are going to do God's will here on earth, we can learn from her who gave everything to honour God in her life and God indeed honoured her by making her to be the mother of Jesus and invariably our own mother too.

_God is constantly calling us and choosing us for a task as we see in the second reading of today, but if we fail to give Him our heart and submit our will to Him, it may never materialise. Now is the time to say yes to God as our mother Mary did and we shall become noble and worthy instruments that the Lord will use to bless the world and to bring honour to His name._

_*Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a blessed day. May our Mother Mary obtain for us the grace of holiness of life and total submission to the will of God. Amen. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.*_

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

*Watch-Word:* Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.

_*Our yes to God should be sincere and real and we shall have nothing to regret in the end.*_

(Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.)