YOU HAVE FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD…

Zechariah 2:10-13 
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the LORD.11 And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.12 And the LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”13 Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Luke 1:26-38 

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.28 And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.32 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 father David,33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?”
35 And 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 called holy, the Son of God.36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”38 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.

MEDITATION

THE FIRST READING: In the ancient Hebrew world, the virginal state of a woman determined her “bride-price” wherefore she was under the protection of her father who was to ensure that she is not violated. With this said, Isaiah prophecy and call the people to rejoice, because the petronal “daughter of Zion;” an unmarried virgin, will be called to step into the breach to plead the cause of her people who were exiled because of their sin. 

Isaiah essentially foretell the story of that moment in time when the Word shall become flesh (Jn 1:14) and dwell in the holy womb of an ‘unmarried woman,’ the King’s daughter Mary, who reside in Jesusalem. Ps 45:9-14. Properly understood, the word “unmarried” also denote a person who has not engaged in the conjucal act.    

THE GOSPEL READING: Mary is greatly troubled when the angel adressed her with the greeting “Hail full of grace” which meant that she was filled with the presence of God implying that she was a sinless creature. For this very reason, God chose her to conceive a son whom she must name ‘Yeshua’ or Jesus, a word derived from the Greek word ‘lesous.’ 

Mary’s anxious state turned into calm when the angel affirmed that the Nazirite oath she has sworn to shall not be violated, wherefore the Holy Spirit will overshadow her, implying that her virginal state shall remain in tact, because the child shall ‘pass through’ the waters by the hand of God. Wis 19:7-8  We who have sworn to not break our oath be it in; marriage, the consecrated life as a priest, religious brother, sister or single person, should take our cue from Mary. We should be less concerned with our temporal desires, social standing or titles, but rather strive to find favor with and please God who see and know everything about us! 

LET US PRAY:Judith 13:18-19 

18 And Uzziah said to her, “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who has guided you to strike the head of the leader of our enemies.19 Your hope will never depart from the hearts of men, as they remember the power of God.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.