First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary: The Annunciation [OPEN]

Sober Catholic ^ | 10/6/2007

[markomalley]

First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary: The Annunciation

The Gospel according to Luke:

Luke 1:26-38;

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply, "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 called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

How receptive are you to hearing God's will for you? Are you hoping that whatever it is, it is not something too difficult? That you are not called to be a missionary to some place undesirable to you? When you pray for God's will to be known to you, do you script your answer, hoping that it will influence God, as if He is unaware of what you mean? Do you reason with God, or beg Him not to do thus and so?

Mary was fully receptive to God's will. She only questioned how it was to be done, not whether it can be or why her. She exercised her humility as a child of God , knowing who the Creator is and her relationship to Him, and trusted.

An aspect of being receptive to God's will for you is trust. Trusting that He who knows you better than you know yourself will guide you to where you need to go and will provide for you what you need to have. Trusting that His will for you is the reason why He placed you on this Earth.

May His will for you be done unto you, giving your acceptance upon trusting in Him.

[markomalley]

The Annunciation

[Tax-chick]

That’s beautiful - thanks for posting! (Not sure about the source, though ... can I trust a “sober Catholic”? :-).

[Savage Beast]

I do trust His will, and I know that He loves me and guides me. I do not understand how a position that seems so obscure and unimportant is important and of service to Him, but I pray that my life and my actions serve to fulfill His will. It is not of importance that I understand. It is of importance that I trust and pray to please and fulfill.