26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel said to her, "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 holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who is said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God." 38 Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
"What has always amazed me most about the Annunciation is how very few questions Mary asks and how completely full of trust she really is. When I am faced with something unknown or unexpected my mind immediately fills with questions and fears and 'what if' scenarios—and they are over much tinier things than the enormity of what Mary was told. The insignificant questions my days are usually filled with are things like 'What if the weather is bad?' 'What if the door is locked?' 'What if I get a bad performance review on the job?' 'What if I move too slowly or am not smart enough?' 'What if I run out of time?'
Dear Lord,
Help us take a lesson from Mary knowing that You can be completely trusted and that all of our days and situations, both big and small rest in Your hands."
(Reflection by Joan Kash, Pro Sanctity Member, NE)
"Notice the particularity of God’s action- Gabriel is sent from God, to Galilee, to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin in that town who was betrothed, betrothed to a man named Joseph, Joseph of the House of David, and the virgin’s name is Mary- and it was a Tuesday, at 2:33pm and Mary was working in the garden. So that last part is not in the Gospel, but the Annunciation did unfold on a specific day, at some specific time and Mary was doing something somewhere when it came to pass. The Annunciation was not on Mary’s calendar. It was not an event she planned, yet it was the most significant and fruitful grace ever received in all of human history. I am so grateful for Mary’s yes. I am so grateful that she was docile enough to notice and cooperate with the grace of the Incarnation at the particular moment God offered it. Mary is attentive and receptive in the moment. How about you? God comes to you today. He has a grace to give you. I wonder what it might be… do you? You may have many things on your calendar today, but the most significant part of your day will be the grace that is offered to you. I will pray for you. I will pray that you will be attentive and receptive to the Grace of God in the moment it comes, so that God’s grace will be fruitful for you, and for the whole world. Will you pray the same for me?"
(Reflection by Fr. Scott Traynor, Pro Sanctity priest friend, SD)
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