Skip to main content

Thirty-One: Reflections on the Annunciation

We had our upper household tonight and we reflected on one of the most important events in the Salvation History, the Annunciation.

The Angel Gabriel appeared the Mary and announced to her the great news.
This reflection is taken from http://www.preciouslife.com/?va=122&vb=212#Day33.

Intention:
Mary is troubled by the Angel Gabriel’s greeting, but still, Mary rejoices to do the Lord’s Will. Let us pray that all mothers who conceive a child may place their trust in God our Father, and know that the little one they have conceived, no matter what circumstances were in place, should be nourished and protected.

Scripture:
And Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to Thy Word." (Luke 1: 38)

Reflection:
Our mother is a model of correspondence to grace. If we contemplate her life, our Lord will give us the light we need to divinize our everyday existence. Throughout the year when we celebrate feasts dedicated to Mary, such as the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and frequently on other days, we Christians can think of our Mother Mary. If we take advantage of these moments, trying to imagine how she would conduct herself in our circumstances, we will make steady progress in defeating the culture of death in our own land.

The scene of the Annunciation is a very lovely one. Mary is recollected in prayer. She is using all her senses and her faculties to speak to God. It is in prayer that she comes to know the Divine Will. With prayer she makes it the life of her life. Do not forget the example of our Mother Mary.

The Nativity story has all of the elements of a crisis pregnancy situation that one might see in modern society. A young mother, hopeful about her future but unsure what impact an unplanned pregnancy will have on it. A father who isn’t quite ready to become one. A couple who don’t believe they have the resources or capacity to care for a child they never expected.

In this trying time for our country and the world, with the promotion of abortion reaching historic proportions across the world, the uplifting story of the birth of Jesus brings us real hope for the future of our nation and an assurance that God has a plan.

Prayer:
Father, I need a place to rest my head, as the world can cause me so much distress and worry about children who are as yet, unborn. Reflecting on the words of Our Lady, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to Thy Word’, Mary simply answered, ‘Yes, Thy Will be done’. Teach me to answer yes in every present moment, so I may submit myself totally in trust to Your Divine Will in protecting the little ones.

I bring to You all mothers who are afraid because of their pregnancy; may You grant them the courage to trust in Your Will, so they may choose Life and answer, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to Thy Word’. I make this prayer through the wounds of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body, the Blood, the Soul and the Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen.


*****

The material above was for Pro-Life purposes, in remembrance of the "Day of the Unborn."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Lupang Hinirang

Every Filipino knows Lupang Hinirang (though some know it better as " Bayang Magiliw "). How can you not know it when it is the national anthem of the Philippines? But do we really mean the lyrics that we sing? Do we understand it in the first place?  Photo Credit:  http://diazi.ism-online.org This video has gone viral weeks ago. This afternoon, I shared it to my teammates, and one commented, "Yun pala yun . Ngayon ko lang naintindihan."   He immediately downloaded it and converted to MP3.   So for those who have not seen it, once again, here is Joey Ayala's version of Lupang Hinirang. And I agree, you would never want to sing it in another way. (But that's just me. :D) This rendition is simply beautiful. Truly Filipino. :) Of course that doesn't mean we need to revise our national anthem but maybe we can consider about correcting the way we sing it (read: proper pronunciation). Read more about the Philippine National Anthem here .

Jesus Week 2015: A Time To HEAL ♥

I had the best, most meaningful HOLY WEEK ever, so far (the best is yet to come!). :) Thanks to Joy who shared the Jesus Week poster on Facebook. It was God's personal invitation, and I couldn't thank Him enough for the grace that He also gave me to respond. Everything is grace. It was not just my personal decision to join. It was God's grace that allowed me to.  So how did it go? Well, as what I have told my friends, it was amazingly beautiful! The experience was priceless! On Holy Monday, I posted Fr. Jerry Orbos' acronym for HOLY WEEK . I experienced all of that and more! :)  I won't be able to share everything as there is just a lot of personal, intimate encounters with the Lord. But if I were to summarize, it was a time for me to HEAL. :)  H alt . Indeed, I was able to stop and just rest in the Lord. Before leaving Manila, I have already told myself that this retreat will be all about Jesus ( Jesus Week nga e :D ). No emails, no texts, no calls. I

Thank You, Lord! :)

It has been a long and stressful day (the past three days have been lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng and stressssssssssssssssssssssssssssssful), but You are just so amazing, Lord that I couldn't sleep without telling You how grateful I am. :) Thank You, Lord for the miracle that You did yesterday. Break even and more. :) Thank You, Lord for the laughter and stories shared during the post-mission meeting with Team Thailand. :) Team Thailand - Princesses from SFC Metro Manila :) Thank You, Lord for Lawrence. He is just the (almost) perfect man. He has his flaws, but they are acceptable; he makes mistakes, but they are all forgivable. There are a lot of men but there can never be anyone else. He's really the one. And You know it very well. :) ♥ Nemo. Love. ♥ Thank You, Lord for giving me strength and endurance each day. :) Thank You, Lord for the short but restful sleeps. :) Thank You, Lord for every waking moment and every opportunity that You give

The Holy Spirit*

*Cluster 4 Household Topic Reflections from John 15:26-16:4 True friendship is strengthened in adversity. Jesus offers His disciples the best and truest of friends. Who is this promised friend?  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our Counselor and Advocate (also translated Paraclete or Helper). Counselor is a legal term for the one who will defend someone against an adversary and who guides that person during the ordeal of trial. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Helper who brings us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. As Jesus approaches the hour that He was to be glorified - through His death on the cross and His resurrection - He revealed more fully to His disciples the person and the role of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus tell us about the Holy Spirit?  First, the Holy Spirit is inseparably one with the Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who gives life - the very life of God - and who kindles faith in hearts receptive

Interesting Facts Courtesy of Celebrity Bluff :)

I was writing a different post, but Celebrity Bluff  is just so fun and informative, I had to stop from blogging to list down the fun facts that I learn from each round. :)  Thought it would be nice to share them here as well. For future reference. :D  Q: In 2012, what kind of animal was named after Beyonce? A: Horse Fly Q: What rare job in China will pay you US$50,000 a year?  A: Fart Smeller Q: What alcoholic drink literally means "water of life"? A: Whisky   Q: In which part of the body can you find the tragus? A: Ear Q: According to Merriam-Webster, what is the female equivalent of dude? A: Dudine Q: What is longer in the male turtles than in the females?  A: Nails And the final question is... Q:  According to Box Office Mojo   what are the top four (4) movies of 2013 according to global profit? A: (1) Iron Man 3, (2) Despicable Me 2, (3) Fast and the Furious 6 (4) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire That's all