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Gospel: 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 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Jesus changed my life. Because of Jesus, I’m Catholic. I’m a priest. I’m the pastor of this parish. Because of Jesus, my world and my priorities have been turned upside down, right-side up.
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Today we celebrate the Queenship of Mary, our belief that she has been assumed body and soul into heaven, and now she reigns as Queen – as intercessor for us, her children – until the end of time.
Mary’s entire life changed – as so many others have – because of Jesus.
Before the angel Gabriel appeared to her, she lived an ordinary life. She was a poor Jewish teenager living on the edge of the Roman Empire. None of us would’ve ever known she existed … until God acted in her life.
Suddenly, Christ began growing in her womb. The simple future Mary envisioned with Joseph was forever changed. In fact, her marriage would’ve been over had Joseph not also accepted God’s will, becoming the foster father of our Lord.
Thirty years later, Mary finds herself standing at the foot of the Cross, gazing upon “the fruit of her womb,” breathing his last.
Three days after, his tomb was empty.
And some time thereafter, the Risen Lord welcomes Mary – body and soul – into heaven. Their journey together – from the womb, to the tomb, to the splendor of heaven now complete.
More than any other, Mary’s life changed because of Jesus.
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How has your own life changed because of the Lord?
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May Mary, the Queen of Heaven, intercede for us, that we would welcome the Lord deeper into our lives. Doing so will change us, even into eternity.
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Image credits: (1) Catholic News Agency (2) Busted Halo (3) Coronation of the Virgin, Velazquez