...Sent from God - Friday, March 25th (The Annunciation)

Readings of the Day

Gospel: Luke 1: 26-38
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.

• from: used to indicate source or origin; used as a function to indicate the starting or focal point of an activity.
• Do I live attentive to all that God wants to send me?  What, or who, else is the source and origin of my thoughts and actions?  Can I see God's hand in everything that comes to me - pleasant or uncomfortable?
• grace: favor or good will; moral strength; the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God; the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them; unmerited divine assistance given humans for their sanctification.
• What am I "full of"?  Do I allow God's freely given grace to sanctify me, to make me holy?  Do I long for and see more of His grace, especially through prayer and the sacraments?  Am I aware of how sin affects grace, and how confession restores it?
• handmaid: something whose essential function is to serve or assist; something that is necessarily subservient or subordinate to another.
• If one were to observe my actions and my thoughts - who, or what, would they see me serving?

Definitions from http://www.merriman-webster.com/ and http://www.dictionary.com/.