Saturday 8 December

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Psalm 97 (98):1-4; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38

God’s surprising activity

Place this scene in its cosmic setting by imagining God and the Spirit suspended and waiting for Mary’s free response. She who has ‘found favour with God’ is not in Jerusalem or the Temple but lives among the powerless in an unimportant village. She is young in a society that values age, a woman in world ruled by men, and poor in a stratified society. She has neither a husband nor a child to enhance her status. She trusts and consents. God’s activity is surprising and against human expectations. Am I open to discover the God of surprises?