Presence

At any time of the day or night, we can call on Jesus.
He is always waiting, listening for our call.
What a wonderful blessing.
No phone needed, no e-mails, just a whisper.

Freedom

Lord, I let go of the worries, resentments and fears
that I can sometimes hold on to so tightly.
Let me open my hands and my heart to receive freely
all the gifts that I need at this time.

Consciousness

Conscious of Your presence, Lord,
I look over my recent past.
Let me be honest with myself about how I’ve been
And what I’ve done,
because I know You love truth in the heart
and accept me just as I am.

The Word of God

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”^{, 29}But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵The angel said to her, “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 holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Inspiration

Mary was chosen by God for her great role as Christ’s Mother, but she is left free in how she will respond to the angel’s message. She becomes, by her faith, her trust, and her charity, the model for all Christians. She is truly the servant of God in all the ways she cares for and loves her Son.

Next to Jesus, Mary is the holiest person who has ever lived on this earth. We give thanks to God for the honour bestowed through her upon the whole human race and ask for the grace to follow her example.

Conversation

What word or phrase has caught my attention from today’s Gospel? I ask the Lord what He wants to say to me through this word…

Conclusion

I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text.

Amen