get it?
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; hence, the holy Offspring to be born will be called Son of God.” —Luke 1:35
The Church encourages us to pray the “Angelus” on waking, at noon, and in the evening. Three times a day we pray and think about Jesus’ Incarnation. When we pray the rosary, we refer to the Incarnation fifty-three times — each time we pray the “Hail Mary.” We pray about the Incarnation when we pray the first joyful mystery of the rosary. The Holy Spirit has led the Church to be preoccupied with Jesus’ Incarnation.
Today, as the Gospel proclaims the Archangel Gabriel’s Advent announcement of the Incarnation, let’s pray that the thousands and hundreds of thousands of “Hail Marys” we have prayed would hit home. May we realize and be stunned by the fact that God became a man. Like the wise men, may we prostrate ourselves before the God-Man, the God-Baby (Mt 2:11). Like Joseph, may we be willing to change all our plans because of the Incarnation (Mt 1:20ff). Like Mary, may we offer our bodies and lives as living sacrifices to the Lord (Rm 12:1) and say: “Let it be done to me as You say” (Lk 1:38).
When we finally “get it,” catch on, and wake up to the fact that God loves us so much that He became one of us, we begin to tremble in fear of the Lord. This “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (see Ps 111:10) and new life in Christ. Get it?
Prayer: Jesus, at Mass today, may I bow down before You in adoration. May I never be the same after loving You today. Mary, pray for me now.
Promise: “Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!” —Is 7:11
Praise: “O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at Your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead Your captive people into freedom.”
Reference:
Rescript: In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from December 1, 2022, through January 31, 2023. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 12, 2022
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.