1  "Hail Favored One!  Hail, Mary, Full of Grace!"

Every vocation is a personal initiative of God's love for humanity. Our Lord knows well our human frailty, such that when Christ left this world he promised not to leave us as orphans. He promised that his emissary, the Holy Spirit, would remain with us. And so through the ages, the Holy Spirit has continued to move the hearts of many young and generous souls with an ardent desire to consecrate themselves exclusively to Christ and the establishment of his Church here on earth. These souls are bridges of intercessory prayer and acceptable sacrifice on behalf of humanity, the pilgrim Church. To be called is a beautiful gift. The world cannot even begin to offer a comparable alternative. This divine initiative is, as the Holy Father wrote upon retrospection of his own vocation, both a gift and a mystery. Mary understood this very well; that the angel Gabriel who gazes upon the face of God should proclaim her, a mortal, highly favored of God. What is it that God sees in certain souls to make them unique subjects of his love? The only suitable answer is that those souls are assumed into the very mystery of God's love for humanity. The omnipotent Creator of all that is seen and unseen permits the plan of salvation to be contingent upon human collaboration. God has need of our generosity!

2.   "Do Not Be Afraid."

Being a favored soul sets one apart from the humanity from which one comes. Vocations come from normal people, from ordinary families, from what seems to be nothing extraordinary. Sometimes, a soul who is being called may feel unsettled, anxious or even scared about the reality going on in their soul as something unique. Why me? Why can't I be like everyone else? How I am going to reconcile this with the dreams I share together with my peers? God is possibly calling for a greater measure of generosity; to re-dimension the horizon of my life. Gabriel assures Mary, not to fret because what God proposes He will be able to bring to fruition. All that is necessary is trust. When we begin to let go of our anxieties and place our trust in God, we discover the true inner peace of providence unfolding in the immediate circumstances around us. The one, who gives the gift of a vocation, is the guarantor of the graces necessary to bring this call to fulfillment. Take heart to the words of the Holy Father at the beginning of his pontificate; "Do not be afraid to open the doors of your heart to Christ". If Christ is moving your heart towards his, let go of your fears like Mary and you will see how the Holy Spirit will overshadow your weakness.

3.  "Behold I Am the Handmaid [servant, slave] of the Lord."

The exercise of the theological virtue of faith leads us to trust and to hope. Mary took heart to the promise of Gabriel that the Holy Spirit would accompany her. Hence, we see a complete openness in her disposition towards her vocation. She is not going to rationalize how and when things are to happen. In fact, this is no longer her concern but that of the Holy Spirit. Mary understands now, in her heart and in her mind, that God has prepared her for this mission and that everything will fall into its place with her collaboration. Hope is this, the certitude of things to come anticipated here and now already in fulfillment. Although the circumstances were never explained to Mary how her vocation would unfold, she knew it would happen and surrendered everything to God: her intellect, her will, her imagination, her sentiments in brief, her enthusiastic consent. This is what it means to be the handmaid of the Lord. A servant's will is in the master's hands; Mary chooses a similar obedience of her own free will. With Christ, our surrendered liberty now becomes one with his divine liberty. United to Christ we have the confidence to say like St Paul, in him I know I can do all things.

Questionnaire:  This optional questionnaire is intended to help you to examine your life, in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him. 

1.  Through Baptism Christ has called me out of darkness into the light. What does the dignity of my Christian vocation mean to me? In which way do I think Christ is calling me to search deeper in my Baptism to bring others to the light?

2.  What is my attitude towards God's will in my life? How often and how honestly do I ask our Lord to open my heart to know his will, or am I afraid to do so? If I am afraid - why?

3.  Every day has its worries. In which situations do I exercise the gift of hope by placing the circumstances of my life within the context of Divine Providence? What am I doing to grow in my generosity daily to embrace God's will?