Today's gospel reading from Luke is the Annunciation. As I prayed with these words from scripture, I was drawn to Mary's incredible courage. She experiences an extremely frightening situation. First, an angel appears to her out of nowhere and begins to speak to her. Second, he proceeds to tell her that she is going to be pregnant even though she is not married and is a virgin. The announcement is sudden, scary, and absolutely life-changing. Plus, Mary is asked to make a decision at that moment. Angel Gabriel did not tell her to think about for a few days! Despite all of this, Mary says, "May it be done to me according to your word.” Mary says yes to God. She just jumps right into the deep end of the pool without any swimmies. 

My prayer continued with pondering my own courage. What am I willing to risk for God? Do I listen to what he is asking of me or do I keep my ears and heart closed? Is fear and lack of trust holding me back? What would my life be like if I had courage like Mary?

Prayer: Good and loving God, open my ears and heart to you and your will. Strengthen the gift of courage and increase my trust. Help me to jump into the deep end, knowing that you are at my side.

Action: Pray with today's gospel reading by doing Lectio Divina. You can find a guide to lectio here.