| Tues Mar 25 | Psalm 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-2 | Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10 | Hebrews 10:5-10 | Luke 1:26-38 |
THIRD TUESDAY IN LENT– FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: On this feast of the Annunciation, we take a slight break from the Lenten disciplines and remember the Angel Gabriel’s proclamation of Good News While it is quite an honor for Mary…Blessed are you…. We know too well, human honor is, indeed, fleeting. But God’s honor stands forever, even in the face of criticism. Mary accepted, even proclaimed, God’s will in her life. She placed her future in the hands of the Father. Her example should inspire us to stand firm as Christians in today’s ever-changing fads and fancies. Remember, the words of others may sting, but the Spirit of God burns within. The divine fire can withstand the darts others fling toward us.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY –The lessons today come from the order of the Mass for the Latin Rite t seems lately, I have heard that phrase often: Be not afraid. The Angel that comes to Mary calms her with these words, and also in turn, Joseph, and they become parents of Heaven’s royal child. The Angel that informed the shepherds of the baby’s birth first said, “Be not afraid. I bring you tidings of great joy”. And how many times does Jesus admonish me not to worry, not to fear, and to be of good courage? I hear it over and over in the Bible, echoed in prayer, hymns and poetry. It seems that Jesus is often saying, “Be not afraid” to those who love Him. Wonderful things happen, but not.
Until after we are able to shake off our fear and live in to the fullness of that promise, just as Blessed Mary did.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: ” From Mary you may take your pattern of life, showing, as an example, the clear rules of virtue: what you have to correct, to effect, and to hold fast”. – St. Ambrose of Milan (Book II)
PRAYER OF THE DAY: “O God, you have taken to thyself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of thy incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.”
LENTEN DISCIPLINE –Reflect on who in your life could use a piece of Good News and go about cultivating an opportunity where they can see hope and a vision for the future as Mary did from Gabriel. What message or action can you bring today to an unsuspecting person that will give them a sense of Christ
SONG OF THE SEASON – Holy Is His Name by John Michael Talbot