Diocese of Leeds Website
‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ (Luke 1:28)
On today’s great Solemnity of the Annunciation, the Church celebrates Mary’s ‘yes’ to the invitation from God to become the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. What a momentous occasion that freely given consent was for the whole of humanity! God had gradually revealed Himself throughout the ages so that we might know Him. After a long period of preparing us, God’s plans culminated in Him taking on our human nature; His long-chosen handmaid consented to bring His Son, Jesus Christ, Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, into the world. No wonder the Angel Gabriel greeted Our Lady with the words “Rejoice, so highly favoured!” We can only imagine, the great rejoicing that took place in Heaven on that day.
Pope Francis, in his General Audience of 24th March 2021, taught us that the Eastern Churches describe Our Lady as Hodegetria: “the one who shows the way” to her Son. Everything about Mary is “completely directed” toward Christ and she is the “first disciple”. We can therefore join the Angel Gabriel in rejoicing in Mary, our Mother, as we seek to direct our lives towards Christ.
We should certainly follow the example of Our Lady in saying a genuine and whole-hearted ‘yes’ when we hear Our Father God telling us the plans He has for our lives, and we can ask her to help us say yes, but do we ever consider that the Angel’s greeting to Mary is also the greeting that we receive?
Indeed, as God chose Mary before all time to be His Mother, He has also intentionally chosen each of us individually to fulfil a particular role within His plans for Salvation. Of course, no role is as huge as that entrusted to Mary, but we each have a unique and vital part to play in God’s plans for bringing about His Kingdom. We can therefore trust that we will also be greeted with the words “Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you” as we start to hear where we are being called to.
We have been chosen for a specific role, since before time. How God, along with all His angels and saints in Heaven, will rejoice for each woman or man saying ‘yes’ to accepting our vocations – whether it is a hidden simple life, or a highly visible public role, or somewhere in between.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, I echo the Angel Gabriel’s greeting to Our Lady – Rejoice, for you have been chosen by God for a distinct reason. He has called us by name. Let us rejoice in the knowledge that we have been called and chosen by God. Let us follow the example of Mary, our Mother in rejoicing that we have a definite purpose. Let us rejoice that nobody else has been called to live the exact same vocation and God-given role as we have. In accepting our vocations, let us give the Church reason to rejoice. Let us rejoice in the fact that God rejoices in us first. Let us rejoice that He loves us so much, that He sent His only Son to us.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Archangel Gabriel, pray for us.