The call of the present

Let it be to me according to your word. – Luke 1:38

The life of the mother of Jesus was simple and plain. She did the tasks that others did at her age, learning how to be a good homemaker for her future husband. There was nothing out of the ordinary about her external life – at least not revealed in Scripture.

Yet what treasures of grace lie concealed in Mary’s attitude! When the angel announced that her child would be called "the Son of God," she responded, "Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

Her answer contained all that our Lord requires – the pure, simple submission of the soul to His will. This was the secret of Mary’s deep spirituality: She abandoned herself to God’s will in the present and received the grace to do what God asked of her.

What is God asking you to do? It may be something magnificent, or something ordinary. It may be to respond actively to a command of Scripture, or to submit patiently to present suffering. "What God arranges for us to experience at each moment is the holiest thing that could happen to us," commented the 18th-century writer Jean-Pierre de Caussade.

Are you able to accept each moment with grace and submission? Can you respond to the Lord as Mary said to the angel, "Let it be to me according to your word"? – David Roper

May we learn the blessed secret

Of delighting in Your will,

Welcoming whate’er You send us,

Joy or sorrow, good or ill. – Anon.

READ: Luke 1:26-38

To know God’s will is a treasure;

to do God’s will is a privilege.

The Bible in one year:

• Habakkuk

• Revelation 15