We celebrate our birthdays, the date of our birth. But we do not celebrate the anniversary of the day we were conceived. Perhaps because this is considered a very private matter; besides, our parents may not really be aware of the exact date.
In the case of the Lord Jesus, there is the celebration of His birthday which is Christmas and the day He was conceived, which is known as the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin.
Why do we celebrate this day? There are two reasons: to prove to us that Jesus is the Son of Mary and, therefore, truly man. Second, that He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and, therefore, truly divine.
The Feast of the Annunciation brings together these two realities. Jesus is not the son of Joseph. He is the Son of Mary and God the Father, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Right from the start, in Mary’s womb, the human and the divine were together. It is wrong to say that Jesus only became divine after birth or after baptism. Jesus was truly human and divine from the first moment of His conception.
That is a bit of theology. The practical application for us is that nothing happens by chance. What we call unplanned of unwanted pregnancies is not found in the Scriptures. If you knew how childless mothers exhaust all efforts to have a child, you would realize there is no such thing as an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. Nothing happens without God’s Intervention in the union of cells that unite in the womb of the mother. Nothing happens by chance. Everything happens because God wills and designs it.
Let us look into our lives and recall the so-called unwanted events that leave us with bitter feelings. If “shameful” events happen to you, it is God’s design. If you cooperate with God’s grace, these fearsome or shameful events can turn out to be blessings. Let us look back to past events we would like to forget. Let us thank God for such events. Nothing happens by chance. Everything is grace for those who believe in God.
FROM THE WOMB
Lk 1:26-38
Jesus In My Heart