Lk 1:26-38The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
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Now it's getting longer. I only thought I would be putting my blogging on hold for only a while, but as I discovered astonishingly, I wasn't able to blog for more than a month. Academics have been very stressful, inner issues have been coming to the fore, and the business has to be given attention.
I also discovered such inner aspirations within me that I am now consciously making an effort to reach. I am now trying to learn Spanish, and I am really hoping I could get a good hold onto the the language well enough for me to write with it. I am really planning to blog in Spanish. It is connected with my long-term plans, which, religious or not, will be a great help for a future career either in business, medicine, or even religious life.
Speaking of religious life, recently I am praying for the grace to experience God in another form of religious life. I am not sure anymore whether living the religious life for me would entail having to profess vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, but I am praying for the grace to consecrate my life to God either alone or with someone else. I am praying that somehow, the year ahead will shed light on what God wants for me. Please continue to pray for me.
I have been using an audio version of the Rosary in Spanish, listening to it whenever I would want to shut off the environment around me to meditate. I love how the Spanish language makes the divine connection so real and intimate. At this point I still can't share the things I'm hearing (I'm not yet well-versed with the grammar) but on-the-spot, when I hear the meditations, I can only shed tears at how profound Mary's message gets.
You may access this website to experience God and Mary through the MP3 Rosary in Spanish, Portuguese or Latin.
Mary said her powerful Yes to God. How can I say Yes to God?
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Saint Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.
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picture credits: http://www.lesgabriels.com/annunciation-mid.jpg
