Gospel of Luke 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.
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.
As we enter into this second week of the Easter season, the Church draws us forward once again, towards Christ… only this time, we are being drawn towards Christmas… we are being drawn to His birth. On this Feast of the Annunciation we are reminded of how Christ was conceived in the womb of the Blessed Mother. Usually this feast is celebrated on the 25th of March, nine months before Christmas, but this year, since it fell during Holy Week, it was transferred to the 1st Monday of the 2nd week of Easter.
This reading of the Gospel of Luke and the Annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary, reminds us that sometimes even though we are good and faithful people, trying to live a good Christian life…we may find ourselves being asked to follow still another path...a harder path than the one we have chosen. We may find that God is prompting us to abandon our plans and follow His call….And even though we all know that we have been given freewill…it is still the desire of God that we submit ourselves to His Will…out of obedience to the One Who made us….Much like the Blessed Mary, who was asked by the angel Gabriel… as a messenger of the Lord... to conceive Jesus in Her virginal womb, by the sheer power of the Holy Spirit that was to overcome her…. We ourselves may find, that if we allow ourselves to listen to God...in the quite of our heart…We may find that God wants something more from us as well. Sometimes, He wants much … much more…
Sometimes we may be asked to do more than we think possible. Like the Blessed Mary, who did not understand all that the angel was telling Her, She was still able to conform her will to that of the Lord…. Listening to the angel … She gave her ‘yes’ to God…she gave her ‘Fiat‘ to the Lord. Even though she did not understand how the things the angel spoke of were going to happen, she obeyed. She did not let her doubt or fear deter her from trusting in the Lord and obeying His request…conforming her will to His...She became the new Eve…
We must remember that God wants more from us than our comfort…He wants our all… He wants our worth…Which for most of us…is far more than we can even imagine…but He wants it….all of it…for the greater good…for our greater good and His glory … So that one day we may be able to see…all that He has created…not only here on earth…but in Heaven with Him, as well.
SecondHandSaintsblog 