Reading 1 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
“Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
Nathan answered the king,
“Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you.”
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?’
“‘It was I Who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that He will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make His kingdom firm.
I will be a Father to Him,
and He shall be a Son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Reading 2 Rom 16:25-27
Brothers and sisters:
To him who can strengthen you,
according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen
Gospel Lk 1:26-38
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.
Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:
The Loving Programmer had provided David, the King He chose, with victory over all the neighboring nations. Finally, there was peace.
So, David said to Nathan, a man whom The Loving Programmer had given downloads from Programming HQ, “Here I am, living in luxury while The Presence of The Loving Programmer is in a tent!”
Nathan told David to build a place for The Presence if that’s what he wanted. He knew that The Loving Programmer had been helping David, and, his human conclusion was that He’d go on doing so.
That night, The Loving Programmer corrected Nathan.
“Tell My servant, David, ‘The Loving Programmer asks, “Should you build me a place for Me on earth? I elevated you from sheep herder to king. I’ve provided Programming Assistance wherever you went, and destroyed your enemies before you. I will make you famous, among the great men of all time.
You are part of The Program. I have downloaded all that was necessary for your success so that My chosen people in the 12 Tribes could live in peace (for an appointed time, until My greater, spiritual peace is downloaded.
I will keep them safe from those who do evil, as the wicked have done to them, since the days of the I appointed the first judges over My favored human programs.
I will give you (David?) rest from all your enemies. I also real to you that He will establish a continuation of your human program in the form of a royal house. After you have gone to rest with your ancestors, I will raise up an heir, a continuation of your genetic program, and I will make His (spiritual) Kingdom firm.
I will be His Father, and He will be My Son.
Your royal house, therefore, will never be erased or corrupted before Me. Your royal house, and the throne on which He sits will last forever without corruption or erasure.'”
The reading is clear. We must take an eternal view of things, realizing that we praise the promises of The Loving Programmer forever. We know this because He has told us that His kindness has been downloaded and is eternally accessible by the faithful and obedient at the highest reaches of His Program.
We know that He has made an agreement, which is unbreakable, with David, His chosen earthly King whose eternity is confirmed and established for every generation.
David, and Christ, will know that The Loving Programmer is the Father of All, and our salvation. Both will treated kindly, and My agreement is unchanging.
Brothers and Sisters, The Loving Programmer has allowed the prophets access to His future downloads. Now, what they said would happen, a mystery to the ages that wrote and recorded what The Loving Programmer would be doing, has happened. Jesus has, according to the perfect will of The Loving Programmer, downloaded Himself in perfect, obedient, human form.
That makes known to everyone in the world that there is salvation through obedience and the faith in The Loving Programmer that can (only) come through Jesus Christ.
Gabriel, one of the most powerful Programming Assistants, was sent by The Loving Programmer to Nazareth, in Galilee. He was sent there to speak to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of David’s house.
The virgin’s name was Mary. When Gabriel, one of the most powerful beings in The Creation Program, came to Her, He said, “You are mightier than I, full of grace because The Loving Programmer, Himself, has made Himself downloadable within You, Mary.”
She was greatly puzzled at those words (not to mention at who was saying them), and wondered what it might mean.
Gabriel said to Her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, because You have found favor with God. Behold, The Very Creation Program will take human form and be conceived within You. If you agree, you will bear a (His) son, and name Him Jesus. He will be great and be called Son of the Most High, and The Loving Programmer will give Him David’s throne from which to rule, and He will rule over Jacob’s house forever. Of His Kingdom (unlike David’s earthly kingdom) there will be no erasure. It will go on, forever.”
But, Mary said to Gabriel: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Gabriel answered, “The Holy Wireless Connector will download within You the power of The Loving Programmer that will eclipse your own, human program.
Because of that, the Child to be born will be called holy, The Son of God.
(To prove it to you) You will see Elizabeth, your much older cousin, has conceived a son in her old age, and is three months away from giving birth, though she was thought to be barren; but all programming and all downloads are possible for The Loving Programmer.”
Mary said, “Behold, I will surrender Myself to His Will. May His Download take place within Me according to what He has told me, through you.”
Then, Gabriel left Her.
