Annunciation. For a Catholic, the word immediately brings a single scene to mind: the young Mary caught in that moment of surprise or of sweet assent as the Spirit descends and God Uncreated takes on flesh, the Eternal is clothed in time.
And yet – as we in our community seldom fail to mention in this mystery of the Rosary – the “annunciation” is not meant to be an exclusive event, as though God’s only announcement was to that particular Jewish teenager in that particular town on that particular day more than two thousand years ago. God also speaks to us; His announcements, like His mercies, are new every morning (cf. Lam 3:23).
And how does God speak? –first and foremost, in the Scriptures. We often use the example of St. Anthony of the desert: as he walked along one day, young and wealthy, he was pondering how the disciples of Christ had left everything to follow Him, and the reward that they were promised in return. While thinking about this, he entered a church, and the Gospel that was being read at that moment spoke straight to his innermost thoughts: Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me (cf. Matt 19:21). Jesus spoke to this rich young man…and he went away joyful, for he obeyed! And Anthony’s yes to that single announcement to his heart from God changed his life and the lives of millions of others, as he devoted himself to the pursuit of holiness and became what one might call a “founding father” of monasticism.
But these kinds of “coincidences” don’t just happen to the great saints of old – they happen to us all the time! As friars and nuns who pray the Liturgy of the Hours and the Mass every day, we are often amazed by how clearly God uses not only the content but even the timing of the “routine” Scriptures of the day to speak to what one of us has specifically been praying about, struggling with, counseling others about, etc. God is speaking to us all the time; it’s up to us to “tune in.” "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us…?” (Deut 4:8)
So let’s start this Advent the way that Mary did: by listening to His words.
And as we listen, let’s pray for the grace to say yes to what we hear, so that we can bring Christ’s project in us to birth in our own time.
“Let us ask the blessed Virgin to make us contemplatives, to teach us to recognize the constant calls from God at the door of our heart.” (St. Josemaría Escrivá)
(Check back next Sunday for the next meditation, as we journey through the Joyful Mysteries in preparation for Christmas!)
Advent challenge, Week 1: God has something to say to you (yes, you) in the Scriptures this Advent. Make time each day this week to read and pray with the Scriptures for Mass (or, at the very least, the Gospel). Take note of what “sticks out” to you – maybe something is perplexing, maybe something seems to speak directly to what you’ve been thinking about or struggling with, maybe something is particularly difficult or consoling. Pray with that, and ponder what you can do that day or week to reflect this passage in your own life.
To find the readings:
on iBreviary – look under “readings” on the menu
Image: "Annunciation," Fra Angelico
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