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A daily Lenten e-mail with lessons of hope and courage, inspired by a variety of resources to encourage us in these confusing and turbulent times from St. Luke’s Church, Lebanon.

Thursday - Fifth Week in Lent
Feast of the Annunciation

Imagine if the Angel Gabriel were to come to you and announce to you that you were “full of grace” and that “The Lord is with you.” What an experience that would be! This is what happened to this young woman, not more than a teen.

We could ponder Mary and her pregnancy and the way in which God chose to set this gift into motion. In the narrative we see Mary “greatly troubled.” Perhaps Mary was troubled because she could not fully understand the implications of what the Angel was telling her. And yet, her pondering reveals her openness to a deeper, fuller understanding. As part of this openness, she seeks still deeper knowledge by asking, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Her response is first and foremost an assent of faith followed by a request for a deeper understanding. Some define faith as the ability to assent to that which we do not fully understand. True faith always seeks deeper insight, fuller understanding of what God is continually revealing of God’s self.

Eventually, Mary accepts what was revealed to her and trusts that what was told to her was enough to inspire her assent. She says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” This fiat of Mary is her surrender to the will of God. This stands as a model for how we all must respond to a revelation of God’s will. Our fundamental calling is to embrace whatsoever God asks of us, completely uniting our wills to His.

Today, like Mary, ponder.

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”