Mar 24 2009
Let It Be Done to Me According to Your Word
As we anticipate the great Solemnity of the Annunciation which we will celebrate tomorrow, we recall that salvation entered the world through a woman, and we pray with Pope Benedict that the nations of the world will recognize the value of women and their unique role. Our reflection is from a homily the Holy Father gave on this feast in 2006.

And yet – today of all days we contemplate this aspect of the Mystery – the divine wellspring flows through a privileged channel: the Virgin Mary. St Bernard speaks of this using the eloquent image of aquaeductus. In celebrating the Incarnation of the Son, therefore, we cannot fail to honor his Mother. The Angel’s proclamation was addressed to her; she accepted it, and when she responded from the depths of her heart: “Here I am… let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1: 38), at that moment the eternal Word began to exist as a human being in time. …
In fact, the Angel, “appearing to her”, does not call her by her earthly name, Mary, but by her divine name, as she has always been seen and characterized by God: “Full of grace”, and the grace is none other than the love of God; thus, in the end, we can translate this word: “beloved” of God (Luke 1: 28). Origen observes that no such title had ever been given to a human being, and that it is unparalleled in all of Sacred Scripture.
It is a title expressed in passive form, but this “passivity” of Mary, who has always been and is for ever “loved” by the Lord, implies her free consent, her personal and original response: in being loved, in receiving the gift of God, Mary is fully active, because she accepts with personal generosity the wave of God’s love poured out upon her. In this too, she is the perfect disciple of her Son, who realizes the fullness of his freedom and thus exercises the freedom through obedience to the Father.
Today’s Readings: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; John 5:1-16
Around 4 PM (Eastern Time) Pope Benedict will arrive at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C. Thus will begin his first visit as pope to the United States. We will depart during the coming days from our usual focus on the Holy Father’s monthly intentions to pray in a special way for him, his safety and well-being during this visit, and for our nation, that we may be open to the words he brings us. As the Risen Jesus told the apostles to be at peace and opened the Scriptures to them, so may we be open to the words of the Vicar of Christ. The following prayer is from the
St. Vincent was born in Spain and entered the Dominican Order when he was seventeen. He became a powerful preacher and miracle-worker who traveled throughout Europe. He lived at one of the lowest points in the Church’s history—the Great Western Schism—when there were three different bishops who claimed to be pope. The Council of Constance resolved the issue in 1414 and, through St. Vincent’s tireless work on behalf of Church unity, peace was restored.