Luke 1: 26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 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. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 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. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
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.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
How Can We Say “Yes”?
Today we are praying with the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel appears to Mary to announce that she will conceive and bear the Christ Child. She is greatly troubled by his greeting, “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you,” and has to ponder it, to sit with it, prayerfully. Imagine what this young girl saw, heard, thought, and felt, as this messenger from God delivered such news to her– she is to be the mother of the Son of God! Is it any wonder that she had to question how this could be? She must have had many questions left unanswered.
Mary models faith for us here, in an exemplary way. Her purity of soul and her deep faith in God allowed her to trust in what was being asked of her, though she couldn’t comprehend it all. Because God was asking this of her, she knew she had to submit to his plan, and have complete trust in him.
When God calls us to face something difficult, perhaps something we are afraid of, how is it that we can say “yes”? Like Mary, we can come to this decision by pondering, sitting with this situation, in prayer. Only God can help us to face the unknown, by increasing our trust in him, and giving us the strength and the courage to persevere.
—Gail Krema is the director of adult faith formation and ministry at Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.
Prayer
Hail Mary, full of grace,
walk with me this Advent in prayer.
Help me to trust God, and his plan for my life
as you did so many years ago.
Most of all, help me to serve God and others,
as you did so selflessly.
Amen.
—Gail Krema
Pray with the Pope
The Holy Father’s Monthly Prayer Intentions Brought to you by Apostleship of Prayer the first Friday of each month.