LIVE IT TODAY: Saturday, December 20, 2025
You were created to receive My life freely and to respond with courageous trust.
A single, flickering note in the soul of a homeless man on Christmas Eve gathers a community out of darkness and into light. We are delighted to share with you, The Inn Crowd — a very moving Christmas short story. Please consider partnering with us in helping the world encounter Jesus Christ through this Live IT Today daily reflection, and our upcoming Live IT podcast and speaker series.
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LIVE IT TODAY: Saturday, December 20, 2025
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
You were created to receive My life freely and to respond with courageous trust.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Luke 1:26–38
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.
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
God waits for a human yes.
This Gospel unfolds not in a palace or a temple, but in the quiet obscurity of Nazareth. Heaven interrupts ordinary life. God does not announce a plan already completed; He invites participation. The destiny of the world pauses, waiting for a young woman’s consent.
Luke is precise in his language. Gabriel addresses Mary as kecharitōmenē—“one who has been filled with grace.” This is not a greeting about what Mary will become, but a declaration of who she already is by God’s initiative. Grace precedes mission. God prepares the heart before He asks for the yes.
Mary’s question, “How can this be?” is not doubt but discernment. Unlike Zechariah’s earlier skepticism, hers seeks understanding in order to obey. Faith does not suppress reason; it brings reason to its knees before mystery. The angel’s answer reveals something astonishing: God will act, but He will not override her freedom.
The word “overshadow” echoes the cloud of God’s presence over the Ark of the Covenant in the wilderness. Mary becomes the living Ark—not by power, but by surrender. Salvation enters the world not through force, but through consent.
Here is the paradox Advent presses upon us: God’s omnipotence waits upon humility. The Almighty becomes dependent. The Creator asks permission of His creature. History turns on a whispered yes.
This Gospel pierces the heart of the domestic church. Every home becomes a place where God desires to dwell, not through perfection, but through availability. Marriage, parenting, daily routines—all become sacred ground when surrendered to God’s Word. Not by control, but by trust. Not by fear, but by faith.
Parents, today Mary stands before you as Mother and model. Let your home echo her fiat. Speak yes to God in the hidden places—fatigue, uncertainty, sacrifice. Pray over your children by name in the power of the Holy Spirit, forming hearts ready to receive Christ and courageously say, “May it be done to me according to Your word.”
“The Father of mercies willed that the Incarnation should be preceded by assent on the part of the predestined mother.” (CCC 148)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where is God inviting my trust rather than my control?
In My Home: What would it look like for our family to say a fuller yes to God?
In My World: How can my obedience make Christ more present to others?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one place where saying yes to God feels difficult or costly right now.
Then, one by one, pray over each person by name, asking for an outpouring of grace to know God’s love personally, freedom from the whispers and lies of the Enemy, strength to overcome temptation, and joyful courage to live the Gospel in everyday life.
Daily Challenge: Imitate Mary today by choosing one concrete act of trust—spoken or hidden—where you deliberately say yes to God.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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