Reading 1GN 3:9-15, 20 After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself." Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me-- she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it." The LORD God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."
Then the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel."
The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living. Responsorial PsalmPS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4 R. (1) Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds. The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds. Reading 2EPH 1:3-6, 11-12 Brothers and sisters: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. AlleluiaSEE LK 1:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women. R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelLK 1:26-38 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.
FAUSTI - In the morning, at midday and in the evening, three times a day, bells ring. It's the Hail Mary. The Angelus and the Hail Mary make the Annunciation the most famous and repeated account of Scripture. The Christian life carries in its heart and has as its beginning and as its purpose the Incarnation of the Word. All centred on this mystery, it is a continuous "today" updating of the "Yes" that has attracted God into the world. Mary is the figure of every believer and of the whole Church. What has happened to Her must happen to each and every one of us. The yes of the man who receives and generates the Word, from Whom everything has its beginning, is the very aim of creation. The scene takes place in the "house". because God has finally found the house of which the temple is figure. It is the encounter that He has sought for all eternity, the moment in view of which time began, crowning His dream of love, rewarding His work, rewarding His hard work. Finally, from the depths of His creation that have moved away from Him, rises a "Yes" capable of attracting Him. And He comes, unites Himself, compromises Himself forever. What was the joy of God in being able to say to Mary: "Rejoice". The Bridegroom, finally, after so many dramas, finds the Bride of His heart. At last the suffering has come to an end. He is embraced by those who love. His offering finds hands that welcome Him, and the great arms of the world embrace, conceive and hold that without which man is not man. Love is loved!. He has found a house to live in and the house of man is no longer deserted. The Incarnation has a "passionate" character reveals God's passion. It is the beginning of the marriage between Him and humanity, the beginning of a love that will be greater than death. The story begins with the angel "sent" (= Apostle) and ends with the angel who leaves. The angel is the presence of God in His announced Word. Our faith in His Word welcomes Himself and unites us to Him: is the Christmas of God on earth and of man in heaven. The Word becomes flesh in us without leaving us anymore. And the angel can go to announce it to others, until the mystery accomplished in Mary will be accomplished among all men. The salvation of every man is to become like Mary. To say yes to God's proposal of love, to give flesh in his body to the Eternal Word, to generate the Son in the world. This passage, placed at the beginning of the Gospel, is the key to its reading. Every account that follows proposes to me, as to Mary, to "rejoice", tells me an aspect of my name (fullness of grace) and that of God (the Lord-with-you), and offers me the Word that awaits my "yes" to become flesh in me, in the power of the Spirit.
Reading 1GN 3:9-15, 20
RispondiEliminaAfter the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."
Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"
The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me--
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."
The LORD God then asked the woman,
"Why did you do such a thing?"
The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
on your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel."
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
Responsorial PsalmPS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4
R. (1) Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Reading 2EPH 1:3-6, 11-12
Brothers and sisters:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
AlleluiaSEE LK 1:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 1:26-38
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.
FAUSTI - In the morning, at midday and in the evening, three times a day, bells ring. It's the Hail Mary. The Angelus and the Hail Mary make the Annunciation the most famous and repeated account of Scripture. The Christian life carries in its heart and has as its beginning and as its purpose the Incarnation of the Word.
RispondiEliminaAll centred on this mystery, it is a continuous "today" updating of the "Yes" that has attracted God into the world.
Mary is the figure of every believer and of the whole Church.
What has happened to Her must happen to each and every one of us.
The yes of the man who receives and generates the Word, from Whom everything has its beginning, is the very aim of creation. The scene takes place in the "house". because God has finally found the house of which the temple is figure.
It is the encounter that He has sought for all eternity, the moment in view of which time began, crowning His dream of love, rewarding His work, rewarding His hard work.
Finally, from the depths of His creation that have moved away from Him, rises a "Yes" capable of attracting Him. And He comes, unites Himself, compromises Himself forever.
What was the joy of God in being able to say to Mary: "Rejoice". The Bridegroom, finally, after so many dramas, finds the Bride of His heart.
At last the suffering has come to an end. He is embraced by those who love.
His offering finds hands that welcome Him, and the great arms of the world embrace, conceive and hold that without which man is not man.
Love is loved!.
He has found a house to live in and the house of man is no longer deserted.
The Incarnation has a "passionate" character reveals God's passion.
It is the beginning of the marriage between Him and humanity, the beginning of a love that will be greater than death.
The story begins with the angel "sent" (= Apostle) and ends with the angel who leaves.
The angel is the presence of God in His announced Word.
Our faith in His Word welcomes Himself and unites us to Him:
is the Christmas of God on earth and of man in heaven.
The Word becomes flesh in us without leaving us anymore. And the angel can go to announce it to others, until the mystery accomplished in Mary will be accomplished among all men.
The salvation of every man is to become like Mary.
To say yes to God's proposal of love, to give flesh in his body to the Eternal Word, to generate the Son in the world.
This passage, placed at the beginning of the Gospel, is the key to its reading.
Every account that follows proposes to me, as to Mary, to "rejoice", tells me an aspect of my name (fullness of grace) and that of God (the Lord-with-you), and offers me the Word that awaits my "yes" to become flesh in me, in the power of the Spirit.