20 December
Isaiah 7:10-14 | Psalm 23(24):1-6 | Luke 1:26-38
‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ (Luke 1:28)
How fortunate Our Blessed Mother was, to be greeted with such favourable news!
How unfortunate we are, that we keep forgetting that the same applies to us!
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
How many times have we exclaimed when we are in dire straits, “God, where are you?”
How often do we forget that He has been there since the beginning of our lives, always watching, always waiting for us to reach out to Him?
How many times could our misfortune have been averted, if we’d just let go of our prideful conviction that we can handle our daily lives perfectly well on our own, and let God guide our actions for the better?
He could’ve helped us not get so greedy, that we fell for that online scam and lost so much money.
He could’ve helped us temper our temper, and avoid that road rage incident and subsequent jail time.
He could’ve helped us remember to be true to our spouses in good times and bad, and not fallen into bed with our co-workers “just because”.
Why don’t we resolve, starting today, to “let go and let God”, not just when our sheltered lives are crumbling around us, but every second of our days?
For as the angel Gabriel assured Mary, “nothing is impossible to God.” (Luke 1:37)
Lord, we readily accept guidance from our peers and even strangers, but rarely do we accept Your guiding hand of love in our lives.
Help us recognize that You are always there, not as a trite and unconvincing phrase to trot out in others’ grief, but a Real Presence who watches over us.
Remind us always that we need us to make that connection to You.
Help us put aside our pride and self-reliance, and engage You willingly and constantly, so that You may work miracles in our lives, and the lives that we touch each day.
Amen.
O come, thou key of David, come
And open wide our heav’nly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to miseryRejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel