There are just so many entry points for prayer and reflection in today’s readings.  A sign from God, Here I am Lord I come to do your will, the will of God, the Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us, do not be afraid, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, nothing is impossible with God – these are just some of the threads that jumped out at me as I read and reflected.  I couldn’t decide where to focus my attention.  Finally, I decided to try and discover what they all might have in common.  Where I landed was the concept of being chosen and my belief that we are all chosen by God simply in our being created.  Do we not all wish to have a sign from God, to know if we are doing the right thing or doing God’s will?  Is this not just another way to say that we would like to know that we are chosen?  And yet, we are.  The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us and continues to dwell among us as we each carry Christ to the world.  What an awesomely big responsibility.  But we hear, do not be afraid, nothing is impossible with God!  St. Teresa of Avila says it so well.

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

When we pray with Mary, some of the questions that rise up include: Who is she? Why was she chosen?  What was special about her?  Since we are bringing Christ to the world, maybe it is important to take a minute and ask ourselves those questions.  So, today, I invite us to spend some time contemplating how we are called, each of us, individually and uniquely to bring Christ to the world.

Who am I?  Who has God created me to be?
What is special about me?  How am I gifted – we all are – uniquely called?
Why was I chosen?  How am I called to bring Christ to the world?

Again, we are all chosen, created in the image of God, to bear Christ.  How will that manifest in us today?