READING OF THE DAY First reading from the second Book of Samuel 2 SM 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16
When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” Nathan answered the king, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.” But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in?’“
It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.”
Second reading from the Letter to the Romans ROM 16:25-27
Brothers and sisters: To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Luke LK 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.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER Mary’s “yes” contains the “yes” of all of Salvation History. It initiates the ultimate “yes” of man and of God. May the Lord grant us the grace to take this road of men and women who have been able to say “yes”. (Santa Marta, 4 April 2020)
S. FAUSTI - The Angelus and the Hail Mary make of the Annunciation the most well-known and repeated narration of the Holy Scripture. Christian life carries in its heart and has as its beginning and end the Incarnation of the Word. All centered on this mystery, it is a continuous actualization "today" of the "yes" that attracted God into the world. Mary is the figure of every believer and of the whole Church. What happened to Her must happen to each and everyone. The "yes" of man who welcomes and generates the Word, from which everything begins, is the very finality of creation. God has finally found the house of which the Temple is figure. It is the encounter that He has searched for from all eternity, the moment in view of which time began, the crowning of His dream of Love, the prize of His work, the reward of His toil. At last, from the depths of His creation, which had departed from Him, a "yes" arose, capable of attracting Him. And He comes, joins and compromises Himself forever. What was the joy of God to be thus placed in the situation to have the possibility to say to Mary: "Rejoice". The Bridegroom finally, after so many dramas, finds the Bride of His Heart. His suffering is finally over. He is embraced by those He loves. His offer finds hands that welcome it and the great arms of the world understand, conceive and embrace that without which man is not man. Love is loved, it has found a home to dwell in and man's home is no longer desolate. The Angel is the presence of God in His announced Word. Our faith in His Word welcomes Him and unites us to Him : It is the Christmas of God on earth and of man in heavens. The Word becomes flesh in us, without ever leaving us again, and the Angel can go and announce it to others, until when the mystery fulfilled in Mary will be fulfilled 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 Her body to His eternal Word, to generate the Son in the world. To the Love of God that searched for him, in disobedience and flight, Adam had answered: "I have hidden myself!" (Gen 3:10). Now, in Mary, humanity itself responds . "Here I am" to Him who has always said "here I am, here I am" to those who did not seek Him (Is 65:1). God exults with uncontainable joy. Love that has always been rejected, now He feels welcomed. Love that was always unloved, now feels loved. From millennia, indeed from eternity, He had waited for this moment in which His creature would give Him the grace to say: "Here I am", so that He could fill it with Himself. God is Advent: He necessarily comes to man, because He is Loving Love. Man is Waiting: he necessarily tends to Him, because he needs to be loved. For this reason, when man waits for Him and says. "Here I am," God cannot not come. Thus He unites with him in one flesh: it is the today of Salvation. My yes to every Word that I listen to makes me welcome the Word: a piece of the story of the Word, who has taken up residence among us, becomes flesh of my flesh. This story, just as it started from Mary and came down to us, starts from us to become flesh in all our brothers and sisters to the ends of the earth. It is the Mission of the Church.
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the second Book of Samuel
2 SM 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16
When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
“Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
Nathan answered the king,
“Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you.”
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?’“
It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.”
Second reading from the Letter to the Romans
ROM 16:25-27
Brothers and sisters:
To him who can strengthen you,
according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 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.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
Mary’s “yes” contains the “yes” of all of Salvation History. It initiates the ultimate “yes” of man and of God. May the Lord grant us the grace to take this road of men and women who have been able to say “yes”. (Santa Marta, 4 April 2020)
S. FAUSTI - The Angelus and the Hail Mary make of the Annunciation the most well-known and repeated narration of the Holy Scripture. Christian life carries in its heart and has as its beginning and end the Incarnation of the Word. All centered on this mystery, it is a continuous actualization "today" of the "yes" that attracted God into the world. Mary is the figure of every believer and of the whole Church. What happened to Her must happen to each and everyone. The "yes" of man who welcomes and generates the Word, from which everything begins, is the very finality of creation. God has finally found the house of which the Temple is figure.
RispondiEliminaIt is the encounter that He has searched for from all eternity, the moment in view of which time began, the crowning of His dream of Love, the prize of His work, the reward of His toil.
At last, from the depths of His creation, which had departed from Him, a "yes" arose, capable of attracting Him. And He comes, joins and compromises Himself forever. What was the joy of God to be thus placed in the situation to have the possibility to say to Mary: "Rejoice". The Bridegroom finally, after so many dramas, finds the Bride of His Heart.
His suffering is finally over. He is embraced by those He loves. His offer finds hands that welcome it and the great arms of the world understand, conceive and embrace that without which man is not man. Love is loved, it has found a home to dwell in and man's home is no longer desolate. The Angel is the presence of God in His announced Word.
Our faith in His Word welcomes Him and unites us to Him :
It is the Christmas of God on earth and of man in heavens.
The Word becomes flesh in us, without ever leaving us again, and the Angel can go and announce it to others, until
when the mystery fulfilled in Mary will be fulfilled 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 Her body to His eternal Word, to generate the Son in the world.
To the Love of God that searched for him, in disobedience and flight, Adam had answered: "I have hidden myself!" (Gen 3:10). Now, in Mary, humanity itself responds . "Here I am" to Him who has always said "here I am, here I am" to those who did not seek Him (Is 65:1).
God exults with uncontainable joy.
Love that has always been rejected, now He feels welcomed.
Love that was always unloved, now feels loved. From millennia, indeed from eternity, He had waited for this moment in which His creature would give Him the grace to say: "Here I am", so that He could fill it with Himself.
God is Advent: He necessarily comes to man, because He is Loving Love.
Man is Waiting: he necessarily tends to Him, because he needs to be loved.
For this reason, when man waits for Him and says. "Here I am," God cannot not come. Thus He unites with him in one flesh: it is the today of Salvation.
My yes to every Word that I listen to makes me welcome the Word: a piece of the story of the Word, who has taken up residence among us, becomes flesh of my flesh.
This story, just as it started from Mary and came down to us, starts from us to become flesh in all our brothers and sisters to the ends of the earth. It is the Mission of the Church.