Gospel (Lk 1,26-38) - At that time, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph of the house of David. The virgin was called Mary. Entering her, he said: "Rejoice, full of grace: the Lord is with you." At these words she was very upset and wondered what sense she had in having a greeting like this. The angel said to her: «Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive a son, you will give birth to him and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end." Then Mary said to the angel: "How can this be, since I do not know a man?". The angel replied to her: «The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with his shadow. Therefore he who is to be born will be holy and will be called the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, in her old age has also conceived a son and this is the sixth month for her, who was called barren: nothing is impossible with God ». Then Mary said: «Behold the servant of the Lord: let it be done to me according to your word». And the angel walked away from her.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

The passage from Genesis tells the story of Adam and Eve who prefer to follow the voice of the serpent rather than that of God. This dramatic story reveals the mystery of that sin, called original, because it lies at the origin of evil, even the evil of this time. It is the sin of a Promethean pride: "You will be like God." Yes, evil has always continued to push men and women to self-exaltation. And here divisions, injustices, hatred, destruction, conflicts, wars arise among men. The tempter continues to insinuate himself into the deepest folds of men's hearts: bonds are dissolved and divisions multiply. But here is Mary and her mystery that today we contemplate already in her conception. This young woman - who recalls the one who would have crushed the head of that serpent that had pushed Eve to sin - is preserved from the original guilt, from that instinct of self-love that wounds every person. With Maria the tragic chain that leads men and women to violence and death is interrupted. Conceived without this original fault, Mary begins a new page in human history, that of a friendship with God, which is even more beautiful than the one her ancestors experienced. However, they were graced by God who wanted to give them clothing as they left the garden to go into the cold of history. Mary was pardoned, she had to welcome the Son of God into her womb and accompany him to the bottom of the cross. Yes, the love of the Son protected her mother. This mystery of Mary, protected from evil - and which today the Church makes us contemplate - is not foreign to the mystery itself of the Church, of the community of believers. it is the mystery of God's love for his Church spread throughout the world. Today, in the mystery of Mary, we contemplate that of the Church, of the community of believers. Even if her members are sinners, the Church, like Mary, is called to listen to the voice of the angel and say yes to her. And we also hear the angel's words addressed to us: "Do not be afraid, Mary... nothing is impossible for God".