Golden Verse:

"Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." Luke 1:38

1. Getting ready for the birth of Christ
2. Have a better understanding of the miraculous conception of our Lord
3. Appreciate both the joy and apprehension which St. Mary felt when she learned that she would become the Mother of God (Theotokos)

1. Prophecies:
• Isaiah 7: 14 -- "The virgin shall conceive and bear a son."
• Ezekiel 44:2 -- "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it."
2. Why St. Mary?
• Her faith
• Her humility
• Her patience
• Her obedience
3. Why Nazareth?
• John 1: 46 -- "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
4. Mary's Reaction:
• startled, but did not react with fear and doubt like Zacharia
• only wanted to know: "How can this be?"
• humble: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord."
• obedient: "Let it be to me according to your word."
• submissive to the will of God; did not argue and worry about things to come
5. Joseph's Reaction:
• Matthew 1: 19 -- "being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly"

Getting ready for Christmas: Fasting