Faith Is More Than A Word

Daily Reflection – 3/25/2020

Sacred Scripture

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, full of grace! 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.( Luke 1:26-38)

Reflection

Beyond the Gospels, much has been written and sung about the mother of Jesus Christ. Even those who downplay her role in the history of the Christian Church will agree that her faith, as portrayed in sacred scripture, was complete and serves as a model.

What is that faith that has stirred so many words?

Mary doesn’t just assent to the pregnancy, but to laying down her life for the Lord – both literally and figuratively. She commits her all to surrendering to His will. All she can know at this point from what the angel tells her is that she will give birth and that her child will live. Even so, Mary has true faith that the Lord’s will is greater than any of her own worries or cares, and even if it means hardship and danger for her, Mary wants what the Lord wants and willingly conforms herself to His will. She does not seek assurances, nor hold back her conformity in some sort of alternate plan in case things go in a direction she doesn’t like

We too are called to do the same if we wish to have a true and abiding faith. The same Messiah that formed such a close relationship with Mary from dwelling within her asks us to take Him within ourselves. He invites us, each day, to receive Him into our deepest selves as Mary did, and allow Him to grow there.

Like Mary, we have the gift of free will, which means we have our own ideas about how our lives are to go. That is our gift from God, and the manner in which we are made in His image. We have our hopes, our dreams, and our plans, and we often put our trust in those and our own designs more than the Lord’s.

But God also gives us grace and he expects us to respond with the same willingness, obedience, and heart-felt trust as Mary did. When God commands, he also gives the help, strength, and means to respond. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. Do you believe in God’s promises and do you yield to his grace?

Prayer of The Day

“Heavenly Father, you offer us abundant grace, mercy, and forgiveness through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to live a grace-filled life as Mary did by believing in your promises and by giving you my unqualified “yes” to your will and plan for my life.”

Daily Note

We have a wonderful model in Mary.  Like Mary, we need to keep ourselves grounded in the God we know, trust and love.  If we do this, then we may believe and trust that we will receive the grace and strength we need.  This will bring us peace.  God will bring us peace!