Daily Reflection
May 31, 2008

In your quiet reflection today, can’t you just picture the joy of both Mary and Elizabeth as they met? Both women will give birth – in God’s special time – to two sons who will change the course of humankind.

Mary answers with the beautiful words of the Magnificat. Today the words that stand out for me are these:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior…The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”
Mary answers as a “handmaid” of the Lord….as a person who has answered joyfully “yes” to her Lord, when she became aware of God’s plan for her life.

Mary acknowledges that God has done great things for her…and gives praise to God for who she is and what He has done in her.

What a role-model for us…………… Just think of it:
--If we were like Mary, we would every day reflect on who we are, why we are, and then joyfully move forward to do what the Lord asks of us.

--Every morning we would sign our head, our lips, and our heart with the sign of the cross. We would consciously ask God to be in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts.

--Then we would go throughout the day – joyfully – doing God’s will as we each understand it.

Then throughout the day – when others react to our actions and evaluate them according to their own standards as “good,” “faulty,” “just so-so,” we can internally know that with all our own frailty, we are doing the Lord’s work as best we can.

We can joyfully thank God for our gifts, frailties, talents, health – in whatever shape they may be…….Because we are moving forward joyfully fulfilling the Lord’s will for our own particular life as we know it.

Let us pray:
Mary and Elizabeth, help us understand God’s will for each of us. Help us accept our own particular frailties, gifts, talents, health and move forward to do joyfully the Lord’s will as we each understand it in our lives. Help us live joyfully in the circumstances you place us. May our lives “Serve the Lord with Gladness.” Amen.