Last week, we went over
the mysteries of the Rosary. As I promised, today I am going to show you the
first of the joyful mysteries and how it relates to your walk of Christian
faith.
The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation
When the sixth month came, God
sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 where a virgin dwelt, betrothed to a man of
David’s lineage; his name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 Into her presence the angel came, and said,
Hail, thou who art full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among
women.[4] 29 She was much perplexed at
hearing him speak so, and cast about in her mind, what she was to make of such
a greeting. 30 Then the angel said to
her, Mary, do not be afraid; thou hast found favour in the sight of God. 31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call him Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and men will know him
for the Son of the most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his
father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob eternally; 33 his kingdom shall never have an end. 34 But Mary said to the angel, How can that
be, since I have no knowledge of man? 35 And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come
upon thee, and the power of the most High will overshadow thee. Thus this holy
offspring of thine shall be known for the Son of God. 36 See, moreover, how it fares with thy cousin
Elizabeth; she is old, yet she too has conceived a son; she who was reproached
with barrenness is now in her sixth month, 37 to prove that nothing can be impossible with God. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the
Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word. And with that the angel left
her. - Luke 1:26-38
The Meaning of the Mystery:
At various points in our lives,
God will send someone to us who will ask us to serve Him in some capacity.
For Mary, she was being asked to serve as the mother of God made flesh.
It will be up to us whether we give our consent, as Mary did, and say,
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy
word" or whether we say, with Lucifer, "I will not serve."
Saying yes to God is
never convenient. It is never easy. It always involves putting ourselves
at risk in some way. Mary was betrothed. Pregnancy could mean an
accusation of adultery, which by law would require her to be stoned to death.
At the very least, she risked being ostracized by friends and family
alike. She knew this. She knew she was risking not only the loss of the
esteem of others, but her very life by giving her consent. She was
putting everything she held dear on the line in order to serve God, but she did
it gladly and without hesitation. When we pray this particular mystery of the
Rosary, we are asking Mary to pray for us that we might be as strong as she
was, as filled with faith, and as trusting in God's providence so that we will
give our "yes" to the Lord as easily and eagerly as she did.
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