The Holy Gospel according to Luke 1:46-56
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
Reflection:
Imagine … Mary who was barely a teenager and knew nothing about relationships, little alone motherhood, and yet, she said YES. She is an example of true faith and conviction. We have all been there many times in our life. We were asked to do things in our life that we thought we couldn’t achieve out of fear or doubt, but we were challenged and motivated by someone such as our parents, teachers, coaches, deacons and mentors to do something.
Let’s start with a small example, someone perhaps asked you to dance but you admittedly said you didn’t know how therefore you didn’t want to embarrass yourself. So that person taught you a thing or two and now you are dancing. How about this one, you have a test coming up in class that you’re not doing well in but your teacher taught you the secret to studying and you nearly ACE the test and the following tests. In fact, that became your favorite subject. The list goes on and on throughout life. There are things like conquering swimming, cooking, public speaking, sports, listening, praying etc.
How about our Spiritual life? Have you accomplished what you were asked to do? Or have you ignored it? My biggest accomplishment is saying yes to diaconate formation and then becoming ordained. Looking back, I recall being asked that question many times by Christ and I would giggle with a stern NO.
All of this takes a commitment as long as we have the “Will” and believe in God and ourselves. Commitment is a vital aspect to our success at many levels of our lives and that includes our Catholic spirituality. It involves an unfaltering and committed decision to adhere to and live out the principles of the faith, even among challenges. No one said it was going to be easy but that is what makes it special. We learn from the struggles of this journey and we excel. We know that it wasn’t easy for Mary and Joseph, but they never gave up and they listened to the path that God gave them. It’s no different with us in our lives and with what we are asked to do. Our obligation reflects a deeper relationship with God and embodies the loyalty, trust, and perseverance necessary to live our life fully.
Action of the Day:
In what areas of your life are you called to deepen your commitment to God, and how can you actively nurture and express this commitment in your daily actions?
Audio Reflection:
