As we begin each day’s reflection, invite the Lord to come be with you as you read and meditate on His Word. Take a moment and read the bible passage slowly, allowing the Lord to draw you to any word or phrase that speaks to you.

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month, 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.

Every year we hear this reading and are reminded of the fiat (yes) of Mary. We are all impressed that she can so easily agree to what God is asking of her. Of course, we understand that she is full of grace and has a closeness to Jesus that we can strive for but may not fully reach this side of heaven. She is unique among humanity in that way. So maybe her yes wasn’t a hard thing to say. She was predisposed to answer correctly. 

But is that true? If we believe she said yes simply because she was already chosen and had extra grace, so it was an easy choice, we take away her free will and humanity. This wasn’t an easy choice. She was aware. She was greatly troubled. She pondered. She asked a clarifying question. And most importantly, she listened. Then she answered the angel Gabriel and said yes. 

So, what is God asking of you today? Is it hard to say yes? Let’s follow her example and be aware of God speaking to us. If it troubles us, let’s take time to think it through and pray. Let’s ask the Lord for insight and wisdom. Let’s listen to what He has to say in the quiet of our hearts, through His Word, and through the voice of others from whom we seek wisdom. And then, let us say yes to God. Because maybe that thing He’s asking of you today will bring Jesus into the world through you, right into your environments and into the lives of those you love. 

Reflection Questions: Spend some time with the Gospel today and place yourself in Mary’s position. What is the Lord asking of you? How does it make you feel and how will you respond?