Happy Feast Day of the annunciation! Today we celebrate Mary's "fiat" ("yes") to God that allowed Him to come and be born and live amongst us! If Mary hadn't said yes, think of where we would have been, without Jesus Christ, without His resurrection!
What courage, faith and trust in the Lord Mary models for us! May this feast day remind us to continue saying "yes" to Him everyday! When we say yes, not only do we follow His will, His divine plan for us to give us life, but we draw so intimately close to Him. As St Augustine tells us, "to fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement."
Fr Damian Ference writes an insightful reflection on today's Gospel:
"'The Lord is with you', her initial response was not one of comfort and consolation. On the contrary, St Luke tells us that Mary was 'deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean'. How good it is for St Luke to share these details with us, for Christian discipleship is not primarily about comfort, and its is very often initiated by a great disturbance - an interruption in our lives.
Our lives are all great stories, whether we recognise it or not. And, God is constantly working to break into them, in order to save us, in order to pour out his grace and mercy upon us, through Jesus Christ, by the power the Holy Spirit, in order to bring his love to the world. Mary shows us how to respond to God's interruptions in our lives...Even though she was initially disturbed by Gabriel's greeting, she knew that God loved her, that he wanted what was best for her and that he could be trusted, which is why she gave him her fiat."
As all Mothers, she teaches us as her children. She comforts us. She guides us. She protects us. She is the new eve, the Queen of heaven, the Mother of God and of us all.
Reflect today:
- When have I said "yes" to God and how has that transformed me?
- How can I better listen to God calling me? - What is stopping me from saying "yes"?
- Do I turn to Our Mother in my need?
To continue prayer and formation:
- Pray a rosary to Our Lady meditating on the Mysteries
- Pray the Angelus Prayer at 6pm tonight - Click here for a homily on the 3 fiats of Mary by Fr. James Serby via Spotify
- Click here for a guided meditation on today's Gospel by Marianist Stories via Spotify
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
