March 24, 2021 Reflection – “Let it be to me according to your word.”
March 24, 2021 Novena for the Annunciation Day 9 Dear Family of Mary! And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Lk 1:38) With these words, human history turned from its trajectory of sin and death to a trajectory of hope for eternal life! With these words Our Lady conceived in her womb the Son of God. With these words, The Holy Spirit came upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. With these words, Jesus, God, the Second Person of the Trinity, united His Divine Nature to a human nature, becoming both Man and God, one Person with two natures. With these words, our salvation for eternal life was made possible. The heavens must have stopped in total silence and awe. For sure nature paused. Our Lady was only a human, with no power to enact such a deed. But she was a sinless human, whose ascent to the Father’s offer was necessary! God needed Mary to say “yes”. He needed her to freely accept being the human Mother of His Son. She was uniquely able to freely say “yes” because she was free of sin. She could say “yes” with no strings attached!! And she did! Our Lady says to us: July 2, 2010 “Dear children; my motherly call, which I direct to you today, is a call of truth and life. My Son, who is life, loves you and knows you in truth. To come to know and to love yourself, you must come to know my Son; to come to know and to love others, you must see my Son in them. Therefore, my children, pray, pray, that you may comprehend and surrender with a spirit that is free, be completely transformed and, in this way, may have the Kingdom of Heaven in your heart on earth. Thank you! Our Lady calls us to love her Son, to accept Him in our lives because He is the way to life, the way to truth, the way to salvation. She wants us to have “a spirit that is free…” A spirit that is free is a spirit that is not attached to sin. Like Mary, if we are free of sin, we can freely choose Jesus and become His disciples, His brothers, and sisters. Our Lady’s “yes” at the Annunciation is the greatest human demonstration of that freedom from sin, that freedom to choose God. May she help us to grow freer and freer in our spirits, free to choose God! Tomorrow we will contemplate this great moment, the moment when our own lives were given a new horizon because of Jesus. Let us pray: Annunciation prayer of faith: Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal Word, You became Incarnate as man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You, through whom the universe was created, began your earthly course, in the womb of a humble and chaste Virgin. At the annunciation of this miracle, Mary responded in faith: “Let it be done to me according to your word.” May we who are made new creatures by your grace, respond with such faith, when you call us to your service. Amen (written by David Bennett) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV 2021