Verbum
Abraham’s full trust in the God who is faithful to his promises did not fail, even when his word was mysterious and difficult, almost impossible to accept. So it is with Mary. Her faith experienced the joy of the Annunciation, but also passed through the gloom of the crucifixion of the Son to be able to reach the light of the Resurrection. It is exactly the same on the journey of faith of each one of us: we encounter patches of light, but we also encounter stretches in which God seems absent, when his silence weighs on our hearts and his will does not correspond with ours, with our inclination to do as we like. However, the more we open ourselves to God, welcome the gift of faith and put our whole trust in him — like Abraham, like Mary — the more capable he will make us, with his presence, of living every situation of life in peace and assured of his faithfulness and his love. However, this means coming out of ourselves and our own projects so that the word of God may be the lamp that guides our thoughts and actions.
Benedict XVI, General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Kevin Clemens
This is my favorite painting of Mary!…her humility, youth, openness, poverty, etc. to the call from God. Her toes are showing! as if she was about to run away but when she heard the words from the angel Gabriel, she felt the peacefulness, the love of God through her beautiful calling to give birth to the Savior of the world! We too are called to give birth to Jesus in our lives! Praise to God
Our Faith is the Joy of the Annunciation. Our Hope is the strength that carries the crosses we face. Love is the Light of the Resurrection which penetrates not only through death but through the fog of indifference and prejudice that the world surrounds us with.