On this day in which we remember the Angel’s Annunciation to Mary, we receive the Circular Letter #46 of the Superior General, Graciela Francovig. We share with you a part of that letter with a heartfelt invitation to pray on this feast day.
This solemnity that the liturgy gives us, places Mary and the Trinity before all of us. Mary plays a major role at this moment. Thanks to her faith, her freedom, and her availability, the plan of the Trinity was realized in our history: “Let us bring about salvation to the human race” (EE# 107).
The first word addressed to Mary is “Rejoice, full of grace” and the reason of the joy announced by the angel is that the Lord is with her. Today we can hear these words addressed to us, to each one of us, and to the Congregation, and affirm: the Lord is with me, the Lord is with us. It is He who comes to visit us, to fill us with His grace, to fill us with joy. We are cared for by the warm embrace of the Father, the gentle strength of Jesus, and the maternal tenderness of the Holy Spirit.
Do we experience that the Lord is with us? In what way do we perceive His presence? Do I feel that the Lord is with the Congregation? In what aspects in which His presence is being shown to us?
The second word that the angel says to her is: “Do not be afraid”. This expression is repeated so many times in the Word of God. God is inviting us not to fear because He wants to give us a consoling message. Mary teaches us how to live these uncertain moments in the world and in the Church. She offered her confusion to God. She clings to God. She teaches us to trust in God, and in this way, everything else will be given to us.
Together with Mary and Mother Candida we can ask ourselves: How is my trust in God? Do I recognize the moments of consolation that the Lord promises and gives us?
The third expression: “The Holy Spirit will descend upon you”. This is how God intervenes in history, by giving us his own Spirit. We need the Spirit to awaken us from passivity, the Spirit that gives harmony because He is harmony. We need that wise and gentle force of God which is the Holy Spirit.
Let us take a moment of today, of this feast, to consider within ourselves, personally and as a group: Do I feel the Lord close to me, how is my confidence, do I perceive the strength of the Spirit in the Congregation, in my community, in the Church? How can we be a channel of the consoling power that God wants to give to the world? “
From Circular Letter # 46
