Thoughts for the Day

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘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 holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

When God asks a question of us He expects us to answer "Yes!" Why should that be? Because we only hear the question when we're tuned into Him. Sometimes the question comes like an idea in our head, sometimes a voice from within us, sometimes in a dream, sometimes a feeling we ought to do something, and sometimes it's prompted by someone else. The only way we know if this is God prompting us is to pray about it. Those who are ministers in the Church will often say that when they first thought about ministry it was as though someone was knocking on their door, or poking them with a stick. They will tell you that this feeling keeps on returning until they said "Yes" to God.

Mary is asked the greatest question of all by God. She could not fudge the answer, she had two choices, to say "Yes!" or to say "No!". She calmly considers the question, and in humility and in trust that this is part of God's eternal plan, says "Yes!" to God. Her decision means she might have been putting herself in great danger for unmarried mothers could be stoned to death, but her trust in God is absolute.

Being asked a question by God can be something almost insignificant and simple, but it can lead us to grow in faith. Or it can be a life-changing request as with Mary. Until we listen we shall never know!

Heavenly Father,
we thank You for Mary's faith,
that she was ready to answer the question
and say "Yes" to your great plan for the world.
It was to give her great grief
as she saw the way her beloved Son was treated
but she was to keep faith in You to the end.
May her response to You
set an example for us this day,
so that we may hear and respond
with loving joy
when you ask a question of us.
Amen.