On the Annunciation

It's only day two and I'm already behind!

One of my goals this Lent was to reinforce my own meditation (and possibly edify you folks) by posting reflections on mysteries of the rosary each weekday (well, Mon-Thurs of weeks 1-5, anyway). So, without further ado: The Annunciation

Mary is a pretty normal (if extremely holy) young girl. Younger than we, but at a similar stage in life, considering how things were different there and then. She's betrothed to a great guy, and her future looks exciting.

Then an archangel appears to her and asks her to be the Mother of God. She accepts God's Will without argument (though with a bit of confusion), and the Word was made flesh - the very Word by whose incarnation, passion, and resurrection we were reconciled to the Father and invited to live forever.

What a great honor, to be chosen for such a fate! And at the same time, what confusion? The great trust we admire in our dear Mother was, I daresay, expressed more in her fidelity to the Lord than in this split-second decision. As the days went on and this child grew in her virgin womb, she probably had no idea what the future would look like - whether Joseph would stay with her and provide for the child, what would happen when she became an outcast of society (as she surely would), even whether she'd still be supported by her parents. And yet she trusted.

Perhaps that supernaturally unwavering trust is why she received the name Full of Grace.