Immaculate Conception (December 9)
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immaculate COnception of the Blessed VIrgin Mary
December 9, 2024Gospel: Luke 1: 26-38
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 song, 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, sine 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 is 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: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120924.cfm
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Visual Arts
The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables,
Esteban Bartolome Murillo, 1660-1655
Murillo developed a remarkably successful approach to depicting the Immaculate Conception. In his portrayal, the Virgin is adorned in blue and white, and her hands are crossed over her chest and her gaze lifted up towards the heavens while she stands on the moon. He conveys a strong upward motion that places her in a radiant celestial realm filled with light, clouds, and angels. This technique reflects the artist's skill in merging two distinct iconographic traditions: the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption.
Learn more about the painting by clicking HERE.
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Music
Gaudens gaudebo
Ludovico Casali, Regensburger Domspatzen
This piece is a setting of the Introit (Entrance Antiphon) for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the patronal feast of the United States of America celebrated on December 8. The text comes from the prophet Isaiah: "I will rejoice heartily in the LORD, my being exults in my God; For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and wrapped me in a robe of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (Is 61: 10).
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Poetry
Advent
Jessica Powers, 1948.
I live my Advent in the womb of Mary.
And on one night when a great star swings free
from its high mooring and walks down the sky
to be the dot above the Christus i,
I shall be born of her by blessed grace.
I wait in Mary-darkness, faith's walled place,
with hope's expectance of nativity.
I knew for long she carried me and fed me,
guarded and loved me, though I could not see.
But only now, with inward jubilee,
I come upon earth's most amazing knowledge:
someone is hidden in this dark with me.
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Reflection
How have you said "yes" to God? Where do you struggle to do so?
How might God be calling you to bear Jesus to the world?
- How do you relate to Mary; as mother, sister, model, or companion?
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O God, grant that we may desire you, and desiring you, seek you, and seeking you, find you, and finding you, be satisfied forever.
Francis Xavier, 1506-1552
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