The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin named Mary and said, ‘Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you. –Luke 1:26-28 (NRSVCE)
Image Courtesy: St. Paul Street Evangelization
Mary’s Song of Praise
Mary said, “My soul magnified the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God My Savior,
for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant.
Surely, from now on, all generations will call me Blessed;
For the Mighty One has done great things for me and Holy is His name.
His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly;
He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, according to the promise
He made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” –Luke 1:46-55
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
In the sixth month the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a
virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David – The virgin’s name was
Mary and he (Gabriel) came to her and said, ‘Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you.’
Mary was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The Angel (Gabriel) said to her, ‘Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God and
now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you will name Him Jesus. He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give to Him the throne
of His ancestor David. He will reign over the House of Jacob forever and of His Kingdom there
will be no end.’
Mary said to the Angel (Gabriel) ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’
The Angel (Gabriel) said to her, ‘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 Holy; He will be called Son of
God and now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son and this is the
sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’
Then Mary said, ‘Here I am, the Servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word.’
Then the Angel (Gabriel) departed from her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she
entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the child leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a
loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why has this
happened to me, that the mother of My Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of
your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who believed that there
would be fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’ –Luke 1:26-45
Related: For Today’s Bible Readings on the ‘Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary’ Visit: -USCCB
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