Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day

Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word

Reflections

• Sin is a turning away from God, a rejection to some degree of God’s plan for us. Eve turned away from God, trusting the serpent and her own judgment more than God’s. Mary, the first woman born without original sin, trusted God’s judgment over her own doubts. When Gabriel first told her the news, she was troubled and confused. But when Gabriel told her that “nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37)—that in fact her cousin was pregnant after her childbearing years were thought to be over—Mary decided to continue to place her trust in God, even in seemingly impossible circumstances. Though we are not personally visited by an angel, the message remains the same: nothing is impossible with God, so trust in God and follow God’s will..

• When Gabriel appeared to Mary, she must have already been somewhat anxious. She was betrothed to Joseph—committed to marriage, but not yet liv ing together as husband and wife. She was likely full of anticipation as well as apprehension. Those of us who are married can recall that time between engage ment and marriage. Nervous as we may be, we can’t wait for that wedding day to finally come and the next chapter of our lives to begin. In the middle of this, Gabriel comes to deliver the earthshaking news that things will not be going as planned. No doubt the news initially would have increased her anxiety and made her even more worried about the delay between betrothal and marriage. But she quickly shifted her focus from herself to the Son she would soon bear. She sacrificed her own personal hopes and dreams of marriage, motherhood, and family life to allow God’s plan of salvation to flow through her to the whole human race.
   
• Though we have not been immaculately conceived, Paul tells us that we too have each been chosen by God before our conception. In our case, we were chosen for adoption through Christ before even the foundation of the world. As Christ came to bring salvation, we are destined not only for adoption, but also to live forever with God in the eternal kingdom in which we all share in the everlasting praiseworthiness of the glory of God. 
  
  Question of the Week
  What specific challenge or anxiety am I facing this Advent in which God is inviting me to trust in God’s loving care as Mary did?

• from Pastoral Patterns
  
  

LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, December 8, 2025

SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, December 8, 2025

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