April 4, 2016 - Monday

And the angel said to her in reply, “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 called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:35-38 NABRE)

The sign given to Mary in confirmation of the angel’s announcement to her is the pregnancy of her aged relative Elizabeth. If a woman past the childbearing age could become pregnant, why, the angel implies, should there be doubt about Mary’s pregnancy, for nothing will be impossible for God.*

I admire the complete trust Mary puts in the Lord. Even when she did not fully understand what was said to her, even when the threat of scandal no doubt hung over her thoughts, and even when she was probably frightened by the appearance of Gabriel, the angel messenger of God, Mary's response was one of pure trust. May we all respond to God's call on our lives as Mary did, by saying may it be done to me according to your word.


Today, on this Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, I will pray to Mary and her husband, Saint Joseph, for perfect resignation to the divine will.


Saint Isidore of Seville, patron of computer technicians, computer users, computers, the Internet, schoolchildren, and students, pray for us.