Category: Inspiration Daily

The Gospel scene of the Annunciation can be seen as a summary of the entire Gospel. It shows the mystery of God becoming man, but also the mystery of man freely cooperating in the saving action of God. Mary stands in place of all of us, modeling the proper response of the creature to her Creator. At God’s invitation she answers humbly that she is the handmaid of the Lord, accepting whatever He wills. It is this answer that allows our Redeemer to come to save us, that is the means by which the Word was made flesh to dwell among us, and that changes all of history. Gabriel has come to present God’s invitation and receive Mary’s response; as soon as she assents, the angel departs from her.

Mary’s yes to God reverses Eve’s no; her humility begins the undoing of the effects of Eve’s pride; her patient waiting for the unfolding of the details of God’s will is the counter-move to Eve’s reaching for what was not hers to take. Because of Mary’s proper response to God’s invitation we see the glorious result: God with us, God within us, God among us, God at work in the world.

Mary doesn’t receive in order to enrich herself or to hide away enjoying the Gift in secret – she receives the Lord so that she can bring Him to others, and the first thing she does is go “in haste” to her cousin Elizabeth. She is the first “Christ-bearer,” and she carries the Light into the darkness, carries Love into the indifference, carries Life into a world deadened by sin. She brings forth from her own body the Food that will sustain us on our journey Home, the Truth that guides our way.

We are right in the middle of the seven “O Antiphons,” those verses prayed at Evening Prayer every Advent since the 700’s, which we all know from the hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: “O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!” The Annunciation shows us the very beginning of this freedom, the coming of the Key that will open the gates sealed against sinful humanity since Adam and Eve, the coming of the Light that conquers every darkness. But the Messiah comes to win the victory not with violent clashing of swords and mighty trumpets, but with humility, obedience, and absolute steadfastness – He wins the victory by refusing to take any shortcuts or back down, by teaching and serving, all the way to the utter outpouring of Himself. He conquers all, one heart at a time, by giving Himself.

And it all begins right here, in the womb of the sinless young maiden, who will give birth quietly, in the dark, in the cold, unnoticed. Her yes to the angel reaches all the way to that abject poverty and humility, and all the way to the Cross, the throne of the Redeemer King born for us on Christmas.

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La escena evangélica de la Anunciación puede verse como un resumen de todo el Evangelio. Muestra el misterio de Dios que se hace hombre, pero también el misterio del hombre cooperando libremente a la acción salvífica de Dios. María está en el lugar de todos nosotros, modelando la respuesta propia de la criatura a su Creador. A la invitación de Dios, responde humildemente que es la esclava del Señor, aceptando lo que Él desea. Es esta respuesta la que permite que nuestro Redentor venga a salvarnos, ese es el medio por el cual el Verbo se hizo carne para habitar entre nosotros, y eso cambia toda la historia. Gabriel ha venido a presentar la invitación de Dios y recibir la respuesta de María; tan pronto como ella asiente, el ángel se aparta de ella.

El “sí” de María a Dios invierte el “no” de Eva; su humildad comienza a deshacer los efectos del orgullo de Eva; su paciente espera por el desarrollo de los detalles de la voluntad de Dios es el contraataque al intento de Eva de alcanzar lo que no le correspondía a ella tomar. Debido a la respuesta adecuada de María a la invitación de Dios, vemos el resultado glorioso: Dios con nosotros, Dios dentro de nosotros, Dios entre nosotros, Dios obrando en el mundo.

María no recibe para enriquecerse o para esconderse disfrutando del Don en secreto, recibe al Señor para llevarlo a los demás, y lo primero que hace es ir “a toda prisa” a visitar a su prima Isabel. Ella es la primera “portadora de Cristo”, y lleva la Luz a las tinieblas, lleva el Amor a la indiferencia, lleva la Vida a un mundo adormecido por el pecado. Ella saca de su propio cuerpo el Alimento que nos sostendrá en nuestro viaje a Casa, la Verdad que guía nuestro camino.

Estamos justo en medio de los siete días cuando rezamos los antífonas navideñas, los versos que hemos rezado todos los Advientos desde los años 700, que todos conocemos por el himno Oh Ven, Oh Ven, Emmanuel: “Oh Llave de David, que abres las puertas del Reino eterno de Dios: ¡ven y libera a los prisioneros de las tinieblas!” La Anunciación nos muestra el comienzo mismo de esta libertad, la venida de la Llave que abrirá las puertas selladas contra la humanidad pecadora desde Adán y Eva, la venida de la Luz que vence toda oscuridad. Pero el Mesías viene a ganar la victoria no con choque violento de espadas y poderosas trompetas, sino con humildad, obediencia y firmeza absoluta. Él gana la victoria al negarse a tomar atajos o retroceder, enseñando y sirviendo, todo el camino hasta la efusión total de sí mismo. Conquista todo, un corazón a la vez, dándose a sí mismo.

Y todo comienza aquí mismo, en el vientre de la joven doncella sin pecado, que dará a luz en silencio, en la oscuridad, en el frío, sin ser notada. Su “sí” al ángel llega hasta esa abyecta pobreza y humildad, y hasta la Cruz, el trono del Rey Redentor nacido para nosotros en la Navidad.

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When the disciples are tasked with feeding five thousand men across from the Sea of Galilee, they are understandably dumbfounded: How can they feed so large a crowd with no food of their own, not much money, and five barley loaves and two fish? Yet, they do not bat an eye when Jesus tells them to prepare the crowd for a meal. Instead of relying on their own intuition and arguing with Jesus about the absurdity of feeding over five thousand people with such a small amount of food, they simply do what He says, knowing that He will provide for His people.

The disciples understand our Gospel acclamation, that “one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). They have no idea how to approach the situation, but they have learned to trust in Jesus’ direction, even for matters of physical survival. His direction is better than anything they could come up with, even if it seems absurd at the time.

This outlook complements that of the psalmist, whose sole aim is to dwell in the house of the Lord rather than in other, more familiar places. And in our First Reading, we see Gamaliel saying something similar: “If [the gospel message] comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). He does not want to resist something that might come from God, even if he does not understand it.

Gamaliel, the psalmist, and the disciples see the point of remaining fixed on God, trusting in His direction even when it is difficult. They know that if God ordains something, guiding it with His hand, it cannot fail. If He gives direction, it will not be followed in vain. To dwell in His house is better than all else.

This is a profound trust that we need to adopt in our own lives. There is a subtle self-reliance that creeps in when we spend too much time seeking security by our own efforts alone. We plan far ahead, without consulting God concerning what He wants for our lives and for our loved ones. Inevitably, our best laid plans fail, and we make new ones, which fare no better. If we are not used to consulting God and trusting that He truly has things under control, we rely on worldly methods to maintain security, prestige, and wealth, so that we can have everything necessary for a good and peaceful life. Seeking easy steps to success, we look to social media and popular wisdom to solve our problems. If these solutions are divorced from spirituality, they never bring us the peace and security we seek.

Ultimately, we need to trust in what God has already told us through readings such as these. Even and especially when things look confusing and hopeless, God is in control. We must listen to Him and seek His will in these moments through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and spiritual direction, trusting in what He tells us, even if we cannot understand the reasons for it. We cannot expect to fully understand the ways of God, but that does not mean that they are inferior to the ways we can come up with on our own. Dwelling in His house is the goal, and His direction and protection are best for us in all situations.

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Cuando los discípulos tienen la tarea de alimentar a cinco mil hombres al otro lado del Mar de Galilea, se quedan estupefactos: ¿Cómo pueden alimentar a una multitud tan grande sin comida propia, sin mucho dinero, cinco panes de cebada y dos peces? Sin embargo, no se inmutan cuando Jesús les dice que preparen a la multitud para una comida. En lugar de confiar en su propia intuición y discutir con Jesús acerca de lo absurdo de alimentar a más de cinco mil personas con una cantidad tan pequeña de comida, simplemente hacen lo que les manda, sabiendo que proveerá para Su pueblo.

Los discípulos entienden nuestra aclamación evangélica, que “No sólo de pan vive el hombre, sino también de toda palabra que sale de la boca de Dios.” (Mt 4,4). No tienen idea de cómo abordar la situación, pero han aprendido a confiar en la dirección de Jesús, incluso en cuestiones de supervivencia física. Su orientación es mejor que cualquier cosa que se les haya ocurrido, incluso si parece absurdo en ese momento.

Esta perspectiva complementa la del salmista, cuyo único objetivo es morar en la casa del Señor y no en otros lugares más familiares. Y en nuestra Primera Lectura, vemos a Gamaliel diciendo algo similar: “si lo que se proponen y están haciendo es de origen humano, se acabará por sí mismo. Pero si es cosa de Dios, no podrán ustedes deshacerlo. No se expongan a luchar contra Dios” (Hechos 5:39). No quiere resistirse a algo que podría venir de Dios, aunque no lo entienda.

Gamaliel, el salmista y los discípulos ven el punto de mantenerse fijos en Dios, confiando en Su orientación incluso cuando sea difícil. Saben que si Dios ordena algo, guiándolo con Su mano, no puede fallar. Si orienta a alguien, sus indicaciones no serán seguidas en vano. Morar en Su casa es mejor que cualquier otra cosa.

Esta es una confianza profunda que necesitamos adoptar en nuestras propias vidas. Hay una autosuficiencia sutil que se cuela cuando pasamos demasiado tiempo buscando seguridad solo con nuestros propios esfuerzos. Planeamos con mucha anticipación, sin consultar a Dios sobre lo que quiere para nuestra vida y la de nuestros seres queridos. Inevitablemente, nuestros planes fallan y creamos otros nuevos, y no nos va mejor. Si no estamos acostumbrados a consultar a Dios y confiar en que realmente tiene las cosas bajo su control, nos apoyamos en métodos mundanos para mantener la seguridad, el prestigio y la riqueza, para que podamos tener todo lo necesario para una vida buena y pacífica. Buscando pasos fáciles hacia el éxito, recurrimos a las redes sociales y la sabiduría popular para resolver nuestros problemas. Si estas soluciones están separadas de la espiritualidad, nunca nos traerán la paz y la seguridad que buscamos.

En última instancia, debemos confiar en lo que Dios ya nos ha dicho a través de las escrituras, como las lecturas de hoy. Incluso y especialmente cuando las cosas parecen confusas y sin esperanza, Dios tiene todo bajo control. Debemos escucharlo y buscar su voluntad en estos momentos a través de la oración, la Escritura, los sacramentos y la dirección espiritual, confiando en lo que nos dice, aunque no podamos entender las razones. No podemos esperar comprender completamente los caminos de Dios, pero eso no significa que sean inferiores a los caminos que podemos encontrar por nuestra cuenta. Morar en Su casa es la meta, y Su orientación y su protección son lo mejor para nosotros en todas las situaciones.

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“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”

The Apostles were so convicted by their experience of Jesus Christ, that they continued to tell his story even when those in power wanted to put them to death. Let that sink in for a moment. They wanted them put to death. And the Apostles did not stop. 

We live in a time when we are taught not to discuss religion and politics. We have witnessed people shamed and brought down for standing up for their convictions. It is a time of “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. 

This hits home hard for me. It is hard for me to even write these words. I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I have not brought up my faith because I was afraid it would make for an uncomfortable dinner conversation. I have neglected to share the grace I have received, because I wasn’t sure how the person would react, they might think I was weird or worse. I had a job once where I was cautioned to tuck in my crucifix because I was around people who didn’t like Catholics and I complied. No one has threatened my life, but there have definitely been times when I didn’t tell the story of Jesus Christ and the wonders he has worked. For that I am ashamed. 

A personal encounter with Jesus Christ has the ability to transform us. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ is able to take us outside of ourselves and move us into meaningful encounters with others. It is our mission to go out into the world and tell the story of Jesus Christ and his mercy. We are not to tell it once and then go back home, we are to tell the story over and over. More than that, we are to live the story. We are to live in such a way that mercy is our hallmark; where telling others how much they are loved is part of just who we are and how we operate. 

So I will take comfort from John’s words in the Gospel. “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” As I bend my will to conform more and more to God’s will, I can trust that God will not ration his gift of the Spirit so that each day I can start anew and along with the Psalmist “bless the Lord at all times.” Even when it feels uncomfortable. 

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