Daily Readings - Sat Dec 08 2018
Genesis
9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"10And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."11He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"12The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."14The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."20The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Ephesians
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love5he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
Luke
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.28And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.30And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.31And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."34And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"35And the angel answered 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.36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.37For nothing will be impossible with God."38And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter three distinct yet interconnected moments in the story of salvation. The first reading from Genesis recounts the aftermath of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Their sin leads to separation from God, yet even in judgment, there is a glimmer of hope—the promise of redemption through the offspring of the woman who will crush the serpent’s head. This passage sets the stage for humanity’s struggle with sin and our need for divine intervention.
The second reading from Ephesians shifts our focus to the blessings of being chosen by God in Christ before the foundation of the world. St. Paul emphasizes that we are predestined for adoption as God’s children, a truth that underscores the depth of God’s love and the eternal plan of salvation. This reading invites us to reflect on our identity as beloved children of God, called to live in a way that reflects the glory of His grace.
The Gospel from Luke presents the Annunciation, where Mary, in her humility and faith, accepts God’s will for her life. Her response, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word,” models the obedience and trust we are all called to emulate. Mary’s “yes” to God’s plan becomes the turning point in history, reversing the disobedience of Adam and Eve and opening the way for the Incarnation.
These readings remind us that our lives are part of a larger story—God’s story of creation, sin, and redemption. Like Adam and Eve, we face choices that have consequences, but like Mary, we are invited to trust in God’s plan and say “yes” to His will. In our daily lives, we are called to live as children of God, mindful of His grace and the hope of redemption. Let us, like Mary, surrender to God’s plan with faith and humility, knowing that His ways are higher than our own.