Annunciation of the Lord - March 25, 2021

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Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 Psalm 40:7-8a,8b-9,10,11 Hebrews 10:4-10 Luke 1:26-38

In the Responsorial Psalm, I hear these words, “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will,” and I immediately begin to hum the song we hear so often during mass: “Here I am Lord, here I am, I come to do your will.“

As I begin each day at my kitchen table reading the daily scriptures, a reflective app on my phone, and the daily devotional Jesus Calling, I sit in joyful hope, waiting to hear what God has to say to me. Although I don’t believe I will ever hear the enormous call that our mother Mary heard in the Annunciation of our Lord, I do try every day to listen and hear what God is calling me to do as a humble daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend.

I feel all are called according to God’s plan in small and large ways; the trick is recognizing the signs when God is calling us. It is easy to get lost in all the “have to-dos of the day” in our crazy busy world. Today, let us start by asking Him to guide us to react as He would in our daily situations. Whether it be as a daughter helping an aging parent, or grabbing something extra at the store for a sibling, or doing the family’s laundry and preparing the daily mundane chore of dinner, or listening to our spouse download their hectic day as they return home, we are doing God’s will by responding and caring for those around us. So simple, yet sometimes so unclear and hidden from our sight.

“Your justice I kept not hidden within my heart, your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of; I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth in the vast assembly.’’At the very least, we have been called to do this will of God, not to hide his power and strength, but to share it with those around us. During this Lenten season, I pray that we share what we have discovered in our God with those around us, His faithfulness to us, His signs, and His miracles.

Q: What is God calling me to do in my apostolate--in my mission to make Him known to others? Is there someone in my life who has not discovered God, or who has wandered from Him? Am I ready to say “yes” to God’s call to reach out to this person?

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