Daily Gospel Reflection

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December 20, 2021

Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Listen to the Audio Version

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.

Reflection

Clare Stoyell-Mulholland ’22
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Until recently, Mary was not somebody whom I identified as a realistic role model. Throughout my lifetime, I was told that I should look up to Mary because we are both women. In the same breath, they would talk about how she was gentle, obedient, and pure.

While these are honorable qualities, they did not resonate with me as I am loud, strong-willed, and, well, blemished. I thought that Mary must not be my person to connect with and that’s okay. There are many other saints whose lives I could ponder.

It wasn’t until I spent time talking with friends at Bethlehem Farm, an intentional Catholic community in Appalachia dedicated to simplicity, community, prayer and service, that my impression of Mary changed.

My friends there described Mary as strong, courageous, and fiercely loving. We see this in the gospel today in the words, “May it be done to me according to your word.” She courageously accepts God’s call despite the societal repercussions of this decision. She resolutely says yes in the name of love, trusting in God’s word.

By accepting God’s will, she empowered herself to break from the norms of the time because she knew she had God on her side. Mary was a revolutionary for her time and ours.

So many times, we remain conditioned to our own mental representations of the people of the Church. We must allow the Holy Spirit to inspire our minds and grow our understanding as my friends at Bethlehem Farm encouraged me to expand my image of Mary.

While Mary may not have been blemished, I think she must have had a strong will and a strong voice to do what God had called her to accomplish.

Prayer

Rev. Thomas McNally, C.S.C.

Lord, help us today and every day to take to heart the words of your mother in today’s gospel: “May it be done to me according to your word.” As Mary submitted her will to the will of your Father in heaven, so may we allow you, Lord, to take up residence in our lives and guide our steps. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Dominic of Silos

Dominic was born in eleventh century Spain to a poor family. He grew up doing the work of his father—shepherding—and he came to love the solitude and silence. He left the family and joined a monastery nearby, and grew in holiness and stature. He was eventually elected abbot.

He came into a dispute with the king, and was removed from the monastery. He traveled to a different monastery in another part of Spain, Silos, and was appointed abbot there. The monastery in Silos was in disrepair and its community life was in sad shape—Dominic restored the physical and spiritual foundations of life there and made it one of the most famous monasteries in Spain.

Miracles were attributed to Dominic in his work—it was said that there was not an illness that could not be cured through his intercession. There is even a story that has been passed down that a group of 300 Christians who were enslaved in north Africa were set free when they prayed in his name.

Dominic died in 1073. Nearly 100 years later he appeared to Blessed Joan of Aza, a woman who was making a pilgrimage to his shrine. In this vision, he promised Joan that she would have a son—soon after, she did, and named her son after the saint who appeared to her. This Dominic is famous for restoring the Church through the establishment of a religious order that continues today: the Order of Preachers.

St. Dominic of Silos is patron saint of prisoners, pregnant women, and shepherds.

St. Dominic of Silos, you appeared to the mother of the great St. Dominic to foretell her son’s birth, pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Dominic of Silos is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.