Lk 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.
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Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and to mark this very important date I went to Mass and confessed, although unfortunately I wasn't able to receive communion. Maybe later today.
I consider this solemnity personally significant because of the fact that if it weren't for Mary's intercession, I wouldn't be here today. My mother prayed hard to the Blessed Virgin to stop her abnormal vaginal bleeding which would have jeopardized the pregnancy that was to be me. She was due for dilatation and curettage, had it not been due to Mary's help. Just a day before the schedule, the bleeding stopped. Since this event particularly refers to the process of conception, I really pray to Mary in her title as the Immaculate Conception.
Through the years that I have spent learning about Mary in Catholic school, what never escaped my curiosity is her Immaculate Conception. I just eventually resigned that this was to be a matter of faith, but this does reveal about how much we need to pattern our lives on hers. Although Mary was conceived without sin, Catholic doctrine teaches us that she lived also without sin, through the grace of God. Human as she is, God's grace enabled her to live such an exemplary life to merit all these titles we now appell to her.
All through this week, I have been defeated by my human weakness, as I saw myself falling from sin to sin to sin. Despite my being obstinate in doing my own way, Mary was still at my door, smiling at me, gently reminding me of the eternal things I should be saving up for, instead of temporary pleasures. This taught me that no matter what, like that of an ideal mother, Mary never cares about how much we sinned, she still loves us, as she loves her Son.
Inay, ipagdasal niyo po ako. Please pray for me, my Mother.
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The past weeks saw me getting addicted to one of those American medical-oriented evening shows: Scrubs. It showed me a lot of the things I was struggling to get used to about being a doctor-in-training. Not to mention the fact that I identify myself very much with its main protagonist, John Dorian, who likes to daydream and is not what one would stand out as a medical doctor in terms of knowledge, but as one in terms of compassion with patients. Apparently he has been the butt of jokes throughout his life, and has gotten used to with not being "in", but he has chosen to accept these facts of life and move on with making rewarding relationships. He has his best friend Turk, a surgeon, and his girlfriend Elliot to count on when things go down. Despite not being that popular in my immediate circle, I am happy that I have friends to count on myself. And one of my best friends is really bent on surgery, why, he even considers himself one of the black boys who rap.
I just wonder if I will have my own Elliot someday.
The show is currently on its ninth season, where JD has now become a medical school professor. There it is again. I love teaching, and I imagine myself teaching in medical school every time.
I do look forward to becoming a doctor myself, and I'm excited to see my life unfold as in that way that JD's did.
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I am currently praying for clarity, for I am currently exploring another aspect of my religious calling. Please pray for me.
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Saint Ignatius, pray for us.
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