Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (LK 1:30)
To know the Lord, to love him and to serve him is at the heart of our Catholic faith and our Christian duty – it is our salvation. It is simply who we are, what we are about and what we must do to more fully realize our identity as beloved children of God. God invites us to more fully live out our call to become holy by becoming faithful witnesses of God’s love, evangelizers of the gospel and missionaries of mercy in the world and in our families. We are invited to deepen our knowledge of God by understanding his divine plan and living in his holy will. We are invited to deepen our love of God in the Mass, through personal prayer and with deep devotion. We are asked to serve him in faith, in joy and in ministry through random acts of kindness and intentional works of mercy. We can do this by spending more quality time with sacred scripture, by more fully entering into silent prayer, by more faithfully celebrating the Sacraments of God’s infinite love and divine mercy and by simply living every moment, every action, every thought, every situation, every conversation in accordance with God’s divine plan and his holy will. Mary is certainly our humble role model, our faithful example, our spiritual guide. She abandoned herself, her thoughts, her will according to God’s Way, his Word, his Will. Mary loves us, intercedes for us, prays unceasingly for us. Perhaps this is a good time to ask Mary for assistance with your preparation in all things. Ask Mary to spend some quiet time with you in prayer. Ask her for the grace to help you to more intimately and personally know God. Ask her to help you understand all the ways God has blessed you, your work, your family, your ministry. Ask her for the courage to know God’s plan for you and for the strength to entirely surrender to his holy will by saying yes to God from your heart, “May it be done to me according to your word.”