Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Here we are in the midst of a full season dedicated to reflecting on the passion of Christ. We have a full season to truly grasp the greatness of His love for us – a love that took his perfectly human body to the cross and saved the entirety of the human race from sin. But today – the feast of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord – is a day that we can take a small break to address some of the workings “behind the scenes” of Jesus’ life. Today, we get to reflect on the life of our beautiful Mama Mary.
Let’s try and jump into this story a little bit:
You’re a young girl getting ready to marry your fiancé, Joseph. All is well, organized, and planned out. All of a sudden an angel appears and begins commenting on how holy you are. Eventually you calm down about the fact that an ANGEL is telling you how holy you are. THEN, this angel starts saying that you are going to have a son by means of the Holy Spirit. And by the way, He’s going to be the Son of GOD. PS: Your elder cousin Elizabeth is pregnant too.
Personally, I probably would have freaked out and signed myself up to see a psychologist within ten minutes of this occasion. But our Mother Mary didn’t do this. She had such faith in the Lord that she dove right into the plans that he had for her. Little did she know, that by saying her simple “yes,” she was becoming the mother of the man that would save the human race and would become the future Queen of Heaven and Earth.
We are all called to be saints and dive into the plans God has for us. Are our instructions going to be stated as obviously as that of Mary? Probably not. But by trusting and leaning into nudges from Him, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we can encounter our true vocations. Sometimes our vocations scare us. We let our desire for security get in the way. But that fear is a gift. Don’t run from it – embrace it and see what it can teach you. I challenge you to actively address your current vocations (daughter, student, friend, etc.) and take a moment to consider all the possibilities that lay in front of you (career, religious life, single life, marriage, travel, etc.).There’s no need to commit to anything at this second (unless good ol’ Angel Gabriel is pulling at your sleeve). Merely open up your heart and be vulnerable to where God can take you. I promise that in doing so, you – like Mary – will reap benefits far greater than what you could have ever imagined.
Rochelle Reyes is a Sophomore majoring in Physical Therapy and minoring in Theological Studies.
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