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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider You will conceive in your womb

You will conceive in your womb

Published Dec 20, 2025 12:05 am  |  Updated Dec 19, 2025 04:25 pm
REFLECTIONS TODAY
In the drama of the annunciation, Mary plays the lead role, with the angel Gabriel in the supporting cast. The real protagonist, however, is Jesus himself.
All that the angel imparts to Mary, he says in relation to Jesus. She is given privileges and favors to make her worthy of the awesome role as the mother of the Messiah.
Luke is primarily concerned with telling us who Jesus is: He is the Messiah foretold by the prophets of old. “The Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel” (Is 7:14).
It is he, the offspring of David, who will sit on the royal throne and will be a sign of salvation for God’s people. Above all, Luke wants us to realize that Jesus is God’s gift of himself to mankind. Jesus is perfectly human, but his humanity comes not from man’s generating power.
Rather, he represents a new creation brought about by the initiative and power of God: by “the power of the Most High,” by the “Holy Spirit” (v 35).
Thus, Jesus is “holy.” He is totally consecrated to God and his saving work. Now, where does Mary stand in all of these? God needs Mary’s free consent regarding her role in God’s plan of salvation.
Being a true “handmaid of the Lord,” Mary willingly obliges. God likewise invites us to actively get involved in the continuous re-forming of our own lives and the world we live in by our own “yes” to his will.
First Reading • Is 7:10-14
The Lord spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!”
Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.
Responsorial Psalm • Ps 24
“Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.”
Gospel • Luke 1:26-28
In the sixth month, 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.
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
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