Our Destiny in the Context of the Annunciation
“Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore. She ruled our Ruler; she carried Him in whom we are; she gave milk to our Bread.” ~ Saint Augustine
Amidst the turbulence, uncertainty and tragedy of the worldwide Coronavirus Pandemic, the church today pauses to reflect upon the greatest singular moment of all time, the event which set the wheels of salvation in motion, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
It is in this story, this encounter between the Angel Gabriel and the Virgin betrothed to a simple, humble, hard working man named Joseph, where our hope for eternal heavenly glory resides. It is in this story where heaven meets earth, where God enters the world through one of his creatures. This child, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, would be “the way, the truth and the life,” the only path to the Father and this eternal heavenly glory that we all desire (John 14:6).
No matter how often we reflect on today’s seminal Gospel Passage (Luke 1:26-38) https://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/She-Will-Be-Great it’s always important to remember that is was through Mary’s cooperation, her “Fiat,” that God’s will for man comes to fruition. It initially opens her to be the recipient of the Word making its home in her. Mary will literally bear the Word of God in the flesh; then she will be borne up by it. Her steady pondering of the word and her constant affirmation of it, repeatedly assenting to God’s purposes, will carry her forward in unwavering faith and obedience.
Mary’s example still offers us strength to follow God’s will in our own lives. Only in following her example can we fulfill our destiny, to become “children of the light.” (Ephesians 5:8-14).
“Our mother is a model of correspondence to grace. If we contemplate her life, our Lord will give us the light we need to divinize our everyday existence,” said Saint Josemaria Escriva. “First,” he goes on to say, “let us imitate her love. Charity cannot be content with just nice feelings; it must find its way into our conversations and, above all, into our deeds. The Virgin did not merely pronounce her fiat; in every moment she fulfilled that firm and irrevocable decision. So should we.”
No pandemic, no war, no natural catastrophe can in any way, shape or form change the outcome borne out of this one divine encounter that we celebrate today. Trials and tribulations will come, we know that. But to quote Saint Jane Frances de Chantal. “Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him. That is all the doing you have to worry about.”
“We adore you O Christ and we praise you. For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”
