MARY SAID, “BEHOLD, I AM THE HANDMAID OF THE LORD. MAY IT BE DONE TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.” LK 1: 26-38
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
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. LK 1:26-38
As Mary is in deep contemplation (prayer) with God the Father almighty, the angel Gabriel appears to her. Mary had a deep and profound prayer life in which she adored God. She was humble and wanted to please God. God had given her a special grace for a special mission. At this moment, the Annunciation, Mary consecrates herself totally and completely to God. She is our perfect model for saying yes to God (loving trust vs. fear). It is what we all should be striving for. Mary did not know the full weight of her decision, but she trusted God with her whole heart.
If God sent an angel to us to carry out a much smaller task than bringing His only Son into the world, would we be ready? Do we take time each day to sit in silence and listen to what God is asking of us? Me either, but I am continually fighting and not giving up. Do we meditate (reflect on) the Scriptures and ask God what His will is for our day? God still wants us to bring His Son into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit through us. Do you reflect Christ in your prayer and deeds throughout the day? I have a lot of work to do, too! With the grace of God and His love for us, through the awesome YES modeled by Mary, we can open ourselves up to God’s love and mirror Jesus in our daily prayer and actions.
Today’s challenge: Put your rosary on your pillow so you don’t forget to pray it asking Mary to walk you through her life with Jesus.
“No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary: either they will give up sin or they will give up the Rosary” – Bishop Hugh Doyle
“The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.” Pope Leo XIII
“Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!” -St. Josemaria Escriva
“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.” -St. Padre Pio
Be a servant, be a saint today!
#Christian YOLO
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