"Faced with mystery"

Wednesday, 25 March 2020

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Introduction

Today, Feast of the Incarnation of the Lord, the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, who direct, who have served in the Santa Marta Dispensary for 98 years, and are here at Mass, are renewing their vows together with their sisters in every part of the world. I would like to offer the Mass today for them, for their Congregation which always works with the sick, the poorest, as it has been here for 98 years, and for all the Sisters who are working at the moment taking care of the sick and also risking their lives and giving their lives.

Homily

The evangelist Luke (see 1:26-38) was able to know about this [event] only from the account given by Our Lady. Listening to Luke, we have heard Our Lady who tells about this mystery. We are faced with mystery. Perhaps the best thing we can do now is to reread this passage, thinking that it is Our Lady who recounts it.

[rereads the text of the Gospel]

In that time, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin, betrothed to a man of the house of David, named Joseph. The virgin was called Mary. He came to her and said: “Hail, favoured one! The Lord is with you”. But she was greatly troubled by these words and wondered what a greeting like this might mean. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour 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”. And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her, “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.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”. And the angel departed from her.

This is the mystery. And now the sisters will renew their vows.

Prayer for spiritual communion

Those who cannot participate in Communion will make a spiritual communion:

At Your feet, O my Jesus, I prostrate myself and I offer You repentance of my contrite heart, which is humbled in its nothingness and in Your holy presence. I adore You in the Sacrament of Your love, the ineffable Eucharist. I desire to receive You into the poor dwelling that my heart offers You. While waiting for the happiness of sacramental communion, I wish to possess You in spirit. Come to me, O my Jesus, since I, for my part, am coming to You! May Your love embrace my whole being in life and in death. I believe in You, I hope in You, I love You. Amen.