March 17, 2022 Reflection – A Novena for the Annunciation of the Lord – Day 2
A Novena for the Annunciation of the Lord – Day 2 March 16, 2022 Dear Family of Mary! Novena for the Annunciation, Day 2: Mary is the new Eve. She said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). With these words of Mary, the Handmaid of the Lord, a new world began. The first woman, Eve, did not fulfill God’s plan in her life. She sinned, and through sin man rejected God and His plans. Through sin, man preferred his own will, and rejected God’s will. Mary Brought healing to a world which was hurt by the disobedience of our first parents. It was possible because Christ, the new Adam, accepted the will of the Father and entered the world to save the world. He entered the world through Mary, the one who was the humble and obedient handmaid of the Lord. Therefore, the deepest meaning of the feast of the Annunciation stems not just from the fact that Christ, the Word Divine, became man for us by His Incarnation in the womb of the Virgin Mary, but even more, that through Mary’s surrender to God’s will a new history of salvation began. (Fr. Slavko Barbaric. “Give me your wounded Heart”.) October 2, 1986 “Dear children! Today again I am calling you to pray. You, dear children, are not able to understand how great the value of prayer is as long as you yourselves do not say: ‘now is the time for prayer, now nothing else is important to me, now not one person is important to me but God.’ Dear children, consecrate yourselves to prayer with a special love so that God will be able to render graces back to you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” The Angelus Prayer V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary… V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Be it done to me according to thy word. Hail Mary. . . V. And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary. . . V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen. (Please add your own prayers here: the Magnificat, the Rosary, the Memorare…) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV 2022