In the reading for today, Isaiah predicts what happens centuries later, that a virgin will conceive a son and call him Emmanuel. Isaiah's message to the Jewish people is to be persistent in their hope and trust in God despite the difficulties of their journey in life.
Our life's journey is not always a smooth straight line to God. Throughout our lives, there are times of crises when we may lose hope, or it may be in the mundane that we get off track and lose sight of our ultimate goal. Lucky for us, God's patience is infinite. He does not grow weary of our innumerable stumbles and detours on our journey.
The story of the Annunciation in Luke's gospel demonstrates how Mary is a model of hope and trust in God's plan for our journey. Even she questioned how she could become pregnant without having been with a man. But, when the angel said it was through the power of the Holy Spirit, she replied with those words of unwavering hope and trust in her God, "Behold, I am the handmaid of The Lord, may it be done to me according to your word."
Through persistence in prayer, we rekindle our hope and trust in God. As the angel said to Mary, "Nothing is impossible with God." By her example, let us ask Mary to bolster our hope and trust in God so that we can accept and follow the journey that he has planned for us. May we be persistent in our prayer.
(Adapted from Susan Tinley)
No comments:
Post a Comment