First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

Reflection:

King David lived around 1,000 B.C. He was the second king of Israel after Saul, whose throne was taken away due to his infidelity to God. David, despite his shortcomings, was a good king, chosen by God to rule God’s people, the Israelites. Scripture describes him as “a man after God’s heart.” In this passage, we hear some promises made to David by God through the prophet Nathan. Although these promises in part referred to David’s son, Solomon, they also pointed forward to the time of the Messiah. The Lord promised peace for His people and a “firm” kingdom under the ruling of David’s heir. He also promised a “house,” which likely referred to the Temple. Finally, the Lord promised a kingdom that would “endure forever.” These promises were partially fulfilled with Solomon who did make the kingdom firm and, notably, had the Temple in Jerusalem built. But how about the promise that the kingdom would “endure forever”? That, of course, was not fulfilled under Solomon. This shows us the future-looking nature of these promises. They are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah. As this Sunday’s Gospel makes clear, Jesus is a descendant of David. The angel Gabriel says to Mary that Jesus will be given “the throne of David” and “of his kingdom there will be no end.” Thus, Jesus is the one who fulfills the promise to David of an everlasting kingdom. Jesus is the king in the line of David who will rule forever, because he is God in the flesh.

Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27

Reflection:

With the coming of Jesus into the world, which we are about to celebrate at Christmas, came an unveiling of God. The Apostle Paul here speaks of “the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested.” The revelation he is speaking of is the coming of the Christ. Jesus revealed to us the fullness of God, for He is God in the flesh. As we saw in the first reading (and could point to many other places in the Old Testament), there had been many promises made about the Messiah. With the coming of Jesus, these prophecies became clear. In fact, only through Jesus do we come to understand many of the Old Testament promises of God. Jesus Christ, who is fully God, has “made [God] known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith.” Thus, let us rejoice in his coming and respond with “obedience of faith” by allowing him to be the king of our lives.

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38

Reflection:

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading we hear the story of the Annunciation. We learn much about the Blessed Virgin Mary in this single passage. First, Mary was a virgin. Our Catholic faith teaches, in fact, that Mary remained a virgin her entire life. This evidences the miraculous and unique nature of the Incarnation. Next, in the encounter with the angel Gabriel, we hear Mary greeted in an unusual way. The greeting “Hail, full of grace!” was not typical for an angelic greeting when comparing it with other appearances of angels in Scripture. What do these words mean? Here the angel Gabriel was first calling Mary to rejoice (the meaning of “Hail”) and then making an identifying statement about Mary. To be “full of grace” means to not have anything contrary to grace in you. Thus, this identifying statement gives a nod to her Immaculate Conception, which we recently celebrated on December 8th. In other words, the angel is recognizing her sanctity and sinlessness. When we recite these words in the “Hail, Mary,” we, therefore, give acknowledgment to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Third, we see Mary’s sanctity in practice here in her response to the words of the angel about the birth of Jesus. In saying, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word,” Mary gave a most profound “yes” to God, welcoming the Savior into the world. We are all called to emulate Mary by saying “yes” to God’s will for our lives.

Application:

  • Mary is an example for us all. Her ongoing, complete obedience to God is what we are all called to imitate. God’s grace made possible Mary’s obedience, and God’s grace is sufficient to make it possible for us to live a holy life. Reflect on where in your life you need to say “yes” to God, submitting to His will, and letting Him fill you with grace.
  • Is Jesus the king of your life? Jesus wants to rule in our hearts. He is not a harsh king, but a loving, merciful king who desires our best. Will you let him reign in your heart by obeying him?