Sunday, December 20, 2026 · Year B
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Let it be done to me
David wants to build God a house, but God promises to build David a house: a kingdom that will last forever. In Nazareth the promise is kept, as Mary says yes and the Son of David is conceived.
The Readings
- First Reading 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
- Responsorial Psalm Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
- Second Reading Romans 16:25-27
- Gospel Luke 1:26-38
Open the readings on USCCB.org →
First Reading 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
David wants to build God a house, but God promises to build David a house: a kingdom that will last forever.
Psalm Psalm 89
Forever I will sing of the Lord's love; his faithfulness lasts through all generations.
Second Reading Romans 16:25-27
Paul gives glory to God for the mystery kept secret for ages and now revealed in Jesus Christ.
Gospel Luke 1:26-38
Gabriel announces that Mary will conceive the Son of the Most High. She answers, "May it be done to me according to your word."
Step Into the Story
Around 1000 BC, King David, settled in Jerusalem, wants to build a house for God. Through the prophet Nathan, God answers with a greater gift: he will build David a house, a royal line that will last forever. Israel's hope for a Messiah, the "son of David," grew from this promise. The second reading is the hymn of praise that closes Paul's Letter to the Romans, written around AD 57.
Nazareth was a small, unknown village in Galilee. Mary was "betrothed" to Joseph, which in Jewish custom was already a binding marriage before the bride moved into her husband's home. God chose a humble young woman in a humble town to fulfill his promise to David.
Meet Christ
Go back to Nazareth. The angel has said the impossible: the Son of the Most High, the throne of David, a child conceived by the Holy Spirit. Watch Mary. She asks one honest question, listens, and then says, "May it be done to me according to your word."
David once wanted to build God a house. God promised instead to build David's house forever. Here that promise comes true in the most hidden way, in the womb of a young woman who said yes. Christ comes into the world through humility and trust, and that is how he wants to come into your heart.
This week, pray the Angelus once a day. Before Christmas, make one act of trust, saying yes to something God is asking that you have been putting off.
The Church Teaches
- 20·answering God when he speaks
- 80·Mary’s virginity
- 84·Mary’s free cooperation
The Annunciation
The Father willed that the Incarnation be preceded by the free assent of the mother he had chosen (CCC 488). Her virginity manifests God's absolute initiative (CCC 503). The Holy Spirit was sent to sanctify her womb, so that she conceived the eternal Son of the Father in a humanity drawn from her own (CCC 485).
The Son of David
Jesus accepted the title of Messiah, the "Son of David," though with reservations, because many understood it in too human a sense (CCC 439).
The Obedience of Faith
To obey in faith is to submit freely to the word God has spoken (CCC 144). The Virgin Mary most perfectly embodies this obedience of faith (CCC 148).
Mary's Yes Made Our Own
In the Hail Mary we abandon ourselves, with Mary, to God's will (CCC 2677). Pray it daily this week.
Journal Prompts
David wanted to build God a house; God wanted to build David one. Where am I trying to do for God what he wants to do for me?
What is the "Annunciation" in my life right now: what is God asking of me?
What question would I ask the angel, as Mary did?
What would it take for me to say "let it be done to me" without conditions?
Talk to God
Lord, as Mary said yes to You, let me say yes to You today. Make room in me for Your Son this Christmas. Amen.