Echoing Mary’s Response at the Annunciation

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word.”

Every time we pray the Angelus, we remember the Annunciation where the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary ”… thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call him Jesus “(Luke1:31). What virtue of Mary does it show us? It shows her great faith and total trust in the Lord and obedience to His Will. Did she understand the mission she was given? Maybe not the whole implication of it but she trusted the Lord with her whole being. How can we be like Mary? With faith and confidence we can live a life that is in accord with God’s Will.

Some of the people I have the privilege of listening to express fear in submitting their life to God’s Will. They shared their dreams and plans in life. They do not want to compromise these by submitting themselves to some unknown. They pray the Our Father and say “Thy will be done…”but could not subordinate their will to God’s Will.

I was one of them in the past. I did not understand what God’s Will was. I thought that if I submit to His Will, that’s going to be the end of my life. I will no longer have freedom. I never knew that was a sign of lack of faith and trust in the Lord. Yes, I am a Catholic ever since and I professed faith in God but my actions were not always congruent and consistent. I just minced words without really giving import to them.

I was never conscious of what praying the Our Father means. When there was something I wanted, I had money in my pocket. I never stopped to pray and asked the Lord if it was His Will. I was capable of making things happen for me because I had money.

I also prayed the Angelus and said “…Be it done unto me according to your word.” Why did I echo Mary’s response to the Angel’s annunciation? Aha! It was just “prayer”; nothing else. It had no meaning for me at all. I never understood. Again, it was just mincing words. My heart was never in it.

I went to Mass. I had a relationship with the Lord but it was never like Mary’s. I was still willful. I participated in praying “…Thy will be done” yet when there were things that I wanted it was “My will, Lord” or “Give me what I want, Lord”.

I prayed but not as candidly and often as I ought to do. Sometimes God was just a last resort when things became difficult. My relationship with Him was an on and off thing. But, as the years went by things changed and experiences helped me grow somehow.

What is God’s Will and why are we afraid of it? We cannot entrust our lives to Him because we do not know Him. You may say, “Oh, I know him. In fact, I pray to him, I participate at Mass, join novenas and other activities in the church, etc.” but if that really comes from a heart who knows and loves the God our prayers are addressed to then we will place our lives in His care.

We learned in our catechism that God made us to know, to love and serve Him in this life and to be happy with Him one day in heaven. In our hopes and aspirations in life, we seek happiness. But reality is that we can never be truly happy apart from Him. God himself, in creating man in his own image, has written upon his heart the desire to see him. Even if this desire is often ignored, God never ceases to draw man to himself because only with God that we find and live the fullness of truth and happiness for which we never stop searching (CCC#2).

I am just a creature. This fact alone suffices to say that I am totally dependent on my Creator. And my Creator knows what is best for me. Why would I not entrust myself, my life, and my future in His Most Capable Hands?

God through an angel told Mary of His plan for her. And what was Mary’s response? “…Be it done unto me according to your word”.

God has a plan for each one of us. Do we want to know it? We can look at our lives. What is it that gives us joy? It can give us a clue.

The next time we pray the Angelus, let us remember that we also echo Mary’s response to God’s Will at the Annunciation not only in words but also in our actions.