A Thought on the Annunciation
Today is the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it is remarkable to think of the fear that must have come over Mary’s heart when the angel Gabriel announced that she would be the mother of the Son of God. Nevertheless, she trusted in the Lord and answered “Ecce ancilla Domini. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.” (Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Thy word.) It is today that we look back at her self-abandonment to divine providence and are lovingly reminded that we should follow her blessed example.
In Mary’s day, to be with child and unwed carried serious repercussions, but she trusted in the Lord and trusting in Him means that you give to Him matters which are large and small, temporal and eternal. You rely on Him and never despair. In this age, Mary’s example gives us a path with which to follow Christ, to imitate humility and to trust infinitely in our God.
In our lives, we will encounter many things that in their present circumstance do not make sense, but like Mary we must trust in God. When the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive a child, she questioned how that could be, as she had not known man? And, that answer is that the Holy Spirit would descend upon her. We too have many things that will happen to us, and the answers may not always be evident, but we must turn back to the prayer that our Lord taught us and remember that His will be done, and not our own; also, the Holy Spirit is constantly at work so we must trust and pray for guidance. When we learn to let go and trust God is when we truly begin to believe.
The Annunciation is also a great point for us to reflect upon our daily lives. Mary’s words “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Thy word.” We should answer like this every day. From the moment we awake through our slumber we should be servants of the Lord, seeking his will in all that we do, and accepting all that comes our way as from Him. If reflecting upon this, we think of many times that we have squirmed our way out of battling for Christ, or taking a firm stance in His defense, we are left with something to amend in our daily thinking and journey towards Christian perfection. Pain and anguish, disdain and slander are things we should not run away from, and Mary’s first words and her life and that of Jesus Christ have taught us that.
Mary’s magnanimous decision, her surrender to God, was the beginning of course of events that would set humanity free from the burden of sin. Mary chose to surrender to God, Jesus chose to follow the will of His Father, and now we should follow their blessed examples and ask the Lord, “What is Thy will?” Let us not turn away from the tumults of life, especially in these times of adversity, but answer God with a resounding “Yes, I will serve Thee!” Neither let us not be dissuaded by the opinions of others nor public perception, for our race is not for that which withers, but for that eternal crown and to behold the Lord at the right hand of the Father.
Comments
stigmata, marks resembling the wounds of the crucified body of Christ, said to be supernaturally impressed on the bodies of certain persons, esp. nuns, tertiaries, and monastics. The last known human to experience this was Padre Pio. We need to thank God everyday for everything He has given us and more during Lent. Thank you for your beautiful writings Louis, these are writings for people with clean souls - the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part. I am sure that people who knowingly hurt others or don't appreciate life won't understand the deep meanings of your writings.