Annunciation of the Lord - Solemnity

Book of Isaiah

The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.
which means “God is with us!”

Psalms

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.

Letter to the Hebrews

Brothers and sisters: it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins.
For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;
holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in.
Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.'"
First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

In the sixth month, 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.

Bl. Augusto Czartoryski(Priest (1858-1893))

Blessed Augusto Czartoryski Priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco (1858-1893) Bl. Augusto Czartoryski was born on 2 August 1858 in Paris, France, the firstborn son of Prince Ladislaus of Poland and Princess Maria Amparo, daughter of the Duke and Queen of Spain. The noble Czartoryski Family had been living in exile in France for almost 30 years, in the Lambert Palace. Here, with the hope of restoring unity in Poland, they continued to direct activities between their fellow Polish countrymen and the European chancellery.Plans for a future Prince It was already planned that Augusto would be a future "reference point" for this restoration and would carry on the "Czartoryski" name. God's designs, however, were to unfold differently. When Augusto was 6, his mother died of tuberculosis. The disease was also transmitted to him, and for the rest of his life he would be plagued by ill health. Although he had to make "forced pilgrimages" with his father to Italy, Switzerland, Egypt and Spain in search of a cure, he never regained his health. As he grew up, Augusto felt that he was not meant for the life of nobility. One day, when he was 20 years old, he wrote to his father: "I confess to you that I am tired [of all the parties]; they are superficial entertainments that cause me anguish and I feel myself forced to make acquaintances with others at these banquets." Augusto already received spiritual direction from his tutor, Joseph Kalinsowski, who would later become a Carmelite. The latter, before leaving for Carmel in 1877, wrote to Prince Ladislaus and suggested that it would be wise, considering Augusto's love for God, to entrust him to the direction of a priest.Encounter with Don Bosco Prince Ladislaus accepted the counsel given by Joseph Kalinowski; and Fr. Stanislaus Kubowicz began guiding Augusto. Augusto already felt more and more called to religious life and was hoping for a clearer indication of what God wanted from him. This "decisive event" took place when he was 25 and met Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesians. When Don Bosco came to Paris and celebrated Mass in the family chapel of the Lambert Palace, Augusto saw in this holy founder and teacher the "father of his soul" and guide for his future. While Augusto remained quiet and withdrawn in the face of matrimony plans made for him by his father, he had no intention of continuing the "noble line." Indeed, after his first encounter with the Salesian saint, he was more resolute than ever to answer God's call by becoming a Salesian. When his father gave him permission, Augusto would travel to Turin to meet with Don Bosco and participate in spiritual retreats. He became comfortable with the "poverty" of the Salesian Oratory and was not disturbed by his frequent ill health or his father's opposition: he instead saw God's hand in all these circumstances. Augusto would say: "If God wants this, all will go well since he can take away every obstacle. If he does not want this, then neither do I."A "Prince" for God's Kingdom Don Bosco was somewhat reluctant to accept Augusto into the Salesian community. It took Pope Leo XIII to remove his doubts when he gave Augusto this message: "Tell Don Bosco that it is the Pope's will that he receives you among the Salesians." Don Bosco replied: "Well then, my dear son, I accept you. From this moment, you are a part of the Salesian Family and I desire that you belong here until you die." In 1887, Augusto began his novitiate under the guidance of Don Giulio Barberis. The young man had to overcome many "habits" and adjust to community life, schedule, frugal meals and other sacrifices. All this he did with great serenity and abandonment to God. When his father came to try to convince him to return home and accept his nobility as "Prince," Augusto refused. On 24 November 1887, the day of his vesting in the hands of Don Bosco, the holy founder whispered into Augusto's ear: "Courage, my prince! Today we have conquered, and I can also say with great joy that one day when you become a priest you will do much for your Country."One year as Christ's priest Don Bosco passed away two months later. Augusto's health was also worsening and his father continued to try to dissuade him from becoming a priest, using his ill health as an excuse. When Prince Ladislaus asked the help of Cardinal Parocchi to dismiss Augusto from the Salesians, Augusto wrote, "In full liberty I made my vows and I did this with great joy of heart. From that day I continue to live in the Congregation with an immense peace of spirit, and I thank the Lord for allowing me to know the Salesian Family and for having called me to become a Salesian." On 2 April 1892, Augusto was ordained a priest by the bishop of Ventimiglia. Although Prince Ladislaus was not present at the ordination, a month later, joined by the entire family in Mentone, he reconciled himself with his son's decision and renounced his own dreams of prestige and nobility for Augusto. Fr. Augusto died on 8 April 1893 in Alassio, where he lived his year as a priest, occupying a room that looked out onto the courtyard where the children of the Oratory played. He was 35 years old. He intercedes for those who entrust themselves to him and especially for the Salesians. He was beatified on 25 April 2004 by Pope John Paul II.

St. Julia Billiart()

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