According to Your Word

March 26, 2012

The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel. Isaiah 7:13-14

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Luke 1:38

Piety

Father, we thank you for the gift of your Son that you announce to the world with the rising sun every day. Open our eyes to the joy around us. Open our hearts through piety to your living presence. Open our minds through study to the wisdom of the ages. Open our hands through action to your work that needs to be accomplished in the world.

Study

We interrupt this sea of purple, this solemn Lenten walk into Jerusalem, with a reminder. Our faith is a faith of joy. Our faith is a faith of glory. Our faith is a faith of presence -- God with us and us with God.

A long time ago, a friend gave me a small banner that he made by hand displaying the phrase: "The soul would have no rainbow if the eye had no tear." Without the tears of the Passion, we would not have the joy of Easter. Without the tears of loneliness, we would not have the joy of the Nativity. With the confusion of the Annunciation, we would not have the happiness of the Visitation.

The real life reminder of that was delivered yesterday afternoon when 20 amazing women presented their witness at the Closing of the 134th Cursillo. Candidate after candidate spoke of the struggles in life -- from a young nun preparing for missionary work to a former nun finally healing her relationship with the church, from mothers to sisters to daughters to friends. These new "babe chicks" have just finished their short course on Christianity -- "crash course" as one described the three-day experience -- and now set out on their Fourth Day today.

They know that God is with us (still) two thousand years later. They know that the living presence if the Lord will overcome all the obstacles to His friendship that we and the world put in the way. It's a reminder we all need every day -- but especially in this final week of Lent with Pam/Passion Sunday and Holy Week ahead.

Action

One phrase on Cursillo is, "Make a friend. Be a friend. Bring a friend to Christ." As successful as the past weekend experience was, we have ahead a weekend for men (April 19-22 at Missionhurst. Who do you know that you can invite to participate in that weekend?