Immaculate Conception!

Luke 1: 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth 27 to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. 28 Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you.

29 She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. 30 But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: 31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; 33 He will rule Jacob's house forever-- no end, ever, to his kingdom." 34 Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." 35 The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. 36 "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months 'pregnant! 37 Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." 38 And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.

Food for thought!

In today's second reading, (Eph 1:11-12) we read: It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

What this reading is saying is that God has a plan for each one of us. He has this plan from day one of our existence; he created us with a plan; we come into this life for a purpose. This is the good news. The bad news is that, like Mary, we sometimes don't know it. The gospel says that all Mary was looking toward to was her wedding, for she had been engaged to Joseph. When she least expected the angel from God came to her with a very disturbing revelation: 'Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus."'

Like Mary, sometimes we don't know God's plan for us; we plan and work for one thing when God has quite another thing for us. Like Mary, we get upset and we upset others when we come to know God's surprise for us. This surprise plan can be in our private life, family life, professional life, can be in our business. In all these, God can and indeed sometimes acts contrary to our expectations and plans.

How many people have married someone completely different from the one they dreamed? How many people have moved from their home countries to a completely different country they never ever dreamed of going to? How many people have changed career or jobs to a completely different one? How many people have...? God continues to surprise us because, as today's second reading put it, He has a master plan, an overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

For that reason, when all is done and said, we must say like Mary: Let it be done to me according to thy plan. Imagine if Mary has stubbornly refused to cooperate? Imagine Mary saying to the Angel, Sorry, I am set for marriage; I can't and I won't. Mary would not be the Mary we know if she had refused. Our glory consists in obeying to God's plan for us, even when we don't understand all the details; even if we get upset ourselves; even if we upset others. We should always say like Mary and with Mary, Be done to me according to his plan for me! Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death.