Embrace The Call

25 Mar

“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.”  St. Oscar Romero

Imagine a simple, humble teen.  She prayed — as did her parents, their parents, and all the generations before them — for the coming of the Messiah.  She knew happiness in the simplicity of life and in the comfort of prayer.

Imagine that simple, humble teen being visited by an angel.  The sight of the angel in and of itself would be enough to frighten most people, perhaps even to the point of death.  This angel appeared to have words of encouragement and invitation for this teen.

For generations, God’s people had prayed for a deliverer, a savior, a Messiah.  Now, it looked like their prayers were going to be answered if this teen chose to accept the invitation of the angel.  But how could this be?  How could it all come about?  She was asked to become the mother of God but she did not even have relations with any man.

The angel told her not to worry and to continue to put her faith and trust in God.  Well, she may have been a bit frightened and she may have been a bit confused.  But this simple, humble teen, Mary, knew one thing:  she was the handmaid of the Lord.  If God was asking her to do something, so be it!

The Annunciation may have been a spectacular spiritual event but Mary’s response was even more spectacular.  Saying yes to God and accepting His will even though she did not know the path was a tremendous act of faith and trust.

We often look for all the fine print.  We often want everything spelled out for us before we commit.  We need to become more like Mary and acknowledge God’s love as we embrace God’s will.  If we say yes to God, He will never let us down.

FAITH ACTION:  Ask for the graces that you need from God to be all that He is calling you to be.