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

Today is one of the most confused feasts days on the liturgical calendar.  The Immaculate Conception is when Mary is conceived without Original Sin in St. Anne’s (her mother) womb.  We have no Sacred readings that describe this event so the Church chooses to do the readings of the Annunciation-the announcement of the birth of Christ.  They choose this reading because the Angel Gabriel says, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you”.  This is the line in the Gospels that the Church teaches us that Mary is born without original sin because she is “full of grace”.  

This also shows the power of the Hail Mary prayer.  It is part of the rosary that Mary has so often appeared to ask us to repeat daily.  It has the power to defeat Satan’s temptations in our daily life.  It is a reminder of God’s salvation plan which leads me to back up to the first reading.  Today, we have salvation history unfold in three readings.  First, the Fall of Man. Second, Paul explains that God had chosen from the beginning to reveal and heal all things between Him and His creation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Last, through Mary, God brought His Son into the world to save us.  

Mary’s Fiat, her total submission to God’s will, her “yes” brought Jesus Christ into the world to save us, not condemn us.  We honor Mary for this total reliance on God.  We too are called by God for a special mission and purpose.  May we have the courage to say yes to God and follow Him every day, so that we may one day share in His glory.  

Today’s challenge: Choose to die to self and do God’s will like Mary did, the most difficult decision of one’s life, but the most rewarding and will bring the greatest joy in this life and the next.

We are all saints in training!   Be a servant, become a saint!

#Christian YOLO