The Church encourages us to pray the "Angelus" on waking, at noon, and in the evening. Three times a day we pray and think about Jesus' Incarnation. When we pray the rosary, we refer to the Incarnation fifty-three times – each time we pray the "Hail Mary." We pray more about the Incarnation when we pray the first joyful mystery of the rosary. The Holy Spirit has led the Church to be preoccupied with Jesus' Incarnation.
On this feast day commemorating the Archangel Gabriel's announcement of the Incarnation, let's pray that the thousands and hundreds of thousands of "Hail Marys" we have prayed would hit home. May we realize and be stunned by the fact that God became a human being. Like the wise men, may we prostrate ourselves before the God-Man, the God-Baby (Mt 2:11). Like Joseph, may we be willing to change all our plans because of the Incarnation (Mt 1:20ff). Like Mary, may we offer our bodies and lives as living sacrifices to the Lord (Rm 12:1) and say: "Let it be done to me as You say" (Lk 1:38).
When we finally "get it," catch on, and wake up to the fact that God loves us so much that He became one of us, we begin to tremble in fear of the Lord. This "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (see Ps 111:10) and new life in Christ. Get it?
| PRAYER: | Jesus, in the middle of praying the Creed at Mass today, may I bow down before you in adoration. May I never be the same after loving You today. Mary, pray for me now. |
| PROMISE: | "Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!" –Is 7:11 |
| PRAISE: | Praise Jesus, the Word made flesh (Jn 1:14), God made man! |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College