PRAYER

God, on this day we renew our faith in You. Create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. May we turn to Your compassion in times of darkness, may we taste Your mercy in times of abundance. May we lead lives of humble service to You, Our God and Redeemer.

READING

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT)

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. ²⁸ Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

²⁹ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ³⁰ “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

³⁵ The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. ³⁷ For the word of God will never fail.”

³⁸ Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

REFLECTION

The Annunciation of Mary is a feast day in the church calendar. It is the day we remember when Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced she was to become pregnant with a child, Jesus. This feast day occurs nine months before December 25th. On this day, we remember Mary's faithfulness and willingness to be a servant of God's.

Three lessons we can learn from Mary:

1. Be Prepared to be used by God - God calls on all kinds of people to carry out God's purpose. All throughout the Bible we see the lowly, the insignificant, the outsider and the unassuming be chosen by God to do great things. All it takes is an open heart.

2. Trust God - Mary's initial response to Gabriel's message was confusion and feeling disturbed. She did not understand how this message could become true. Although she had questions, the angel explained how this miracle would occur and Mary decided to trust God and believe that what was told her would become true.

3. Be a Servant - In the Gospels, Jesus said He came to serve not to be served. Christ is our example of how we are to live our lives. Mary too, is an example of humility and servanthood. She put aside her doubts and fears and chose to serve God by walking the path laid out before her.

LENT CHECK IN

Consider listening to the song Ava Maria

Since Annunciation forecasts Christmas and serves as an illustration of how the liturgical year is an endless circle of days, try celebrating this circle by serving cake, coffee ring, wreath-shaped cookies, or other foods served in a ring mold for this feast day. Another way to celebrate is by eating waffles. (From The Importance of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord )