"I am the handmaid of the Lord"
Gospel Lk 1:26-38
In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
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.
Let Go and Let God
by Mai Cruz-Bacena
When was the last time you let go and let God?
To say that Mary’s world turned upside down after the angel Gabriel’s message is an understatement. Imagine being told that you are to conceive and bear a son — all while being a virgin!
In the modern world, you can just imagine every Maritess in the neighborhood gossiping about Mary. But this happened over 2,000 years ago, and the shame and judgment would have been even a million times more unbearable.
Nevertheless, Mary was a faithful woman. This was God’s messenger speaking to her, so she took a leap of faith. She bravely accepted God’s will.
Often, we find ourselves in situations where we feel like we have no control. We get frustrated and harbor bad feelings when things don’t go our way. We say that we are faithful, but we have a hard time saying, “Your will be done.”
I remember my frustration when the pandemic happened. Back then, my husband and I were at our peak. I was thriving as a freelancer and had to decline clients because I had so many ongoing projects. My husband was earning well and was always getting commendations at work. Our essential oils business was booming, and we also managed to set up a coffee business.
But towards the end of the pandemic, things started to fall apart.
My husband lost his job. I also started losing clients, and our businesses weren’t earning as much as before.
I questioned God. I’ve been serving Him for years, yet I felt like I was being punished. We were falling behind on loan payments and had to let go of a property that we were supposed to turn into our future home. How could God do this to me, His faithful servant?
Over time, I realized that my frustration had turned into resentment. I became a toxic person, blaming everyone and everything for the hardships we were facing.
But God remained good despite my doubts. Eventually, I started getting new clients who paid even better than the clients I lost, and my husband found a better-paying job. While we may not get back some of the things we lost back then, I have become more confident in God’s provisions. I now believe that He will replace everything we lost with something better.
If only I had Mary’s faith and trust in God! It would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights and buckets of tears. Now, I know that no matter how incredulous God’s will might seem at first, I have learned to stay rooted in faith. My humanness might doubt and worry, but in the end, I have learned to finally let go and let God.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for remaining faithful to your promises despite our lack of faith. Thank you for choosing Mary as the perfect example of having faith in your will and submitting to your plans. We let go of the things we can’t control and trust that you have our victory planned out for us. Amen.
Gift for Jesus
This season, let’s give Jesus the gift of faith and surrender. Think of a situation that has been draining you physically, mentally, or emotionally, and make the decision to let go and let God.
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