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
Is it possible to accept God’s invitation to be the mother of the Savior at age 13? Mary grew up in the temple because her parents promised to consecrate her to God if He would give them a child. Anne, Mary’s mom was barren for a long time. So, Mary knew the Scriptures well. Nobody would have been fully prepared, but today we learn that the most important part of having a relationship with God is trust. We must have a resolute heart to fully commit to His will each day. Mary was very scared or afraid, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God”. Next, we receive a line from our Creed (conceived by the Holy Spirit), “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.” Last, Mary speaks the words of trust not knowing fully what she will have to endure yet, but trusting that God will take care of her every step of the way, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Each day we face many unknowns, but having an angel appear and ask you to be the mother of the Savior is a whopper. We have been lied to so many times we struggle to trust. We have lied to others and they have stopped trusting us. God never lies, He can’t. We must turn to Him each morning and give ourselves totally and completely to Him. We must empty ourselves and become His servant, “I must decrease so He can increase.” -John the Baptist It is the only way to reach heaven. We must receive God’s call, receive His grace, do His will, and return to Him. It is our purpose. Mary models it perfectly. ”For nothing will be impossible for God.”-Angel Gabriel
Today’s challenge: Be open to receiving God into your life. You will be afraid, but trust in Him. The rewards are eternal. Make a commitment to give God your free will back to Him to begin each day.
Christian YOLO, YODO
Be a servant, Become a saint!
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