Saturday in the Third Week: The Annunciation of our Lord to Mary

Readings for the feast are Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 40:5-11; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38.

A friend told me that her Lenten practice is to stand in the space of “Do not be afraid.”  She hears God speaking to her through this simple phrase.  When she fears that her work will not be received well or that she’s not up to the task, she comes back to this message: Do not be afraid.

There are always reasons to be afraid.  (And sometimes our minds invent more, and make those fears sound reasonable.)  God does not want us to ignore real dangers or live in denial.  There is such a thing as holy caution, prudence, wisdom.  But God does call us to stretch past our reptilian brains, that part of us that focuses on simple survival at all costs, and trust that God is with us in our challenges.  Being fully human means partnering with God.  It means becoming the place where the human animal and the divine spark meet.

Mary knew about reasonable fear.  Joseph would learn about fear.  Jesus knew reasons to be afraid.  They took action to avoid trouble when that was called for, but they also stood their ground when it was time to do that.

There are always reasons to be afraid.  It takes faith to move through that to fullness of life.  May you be blessed among women (and men!), and bear the Christ in you with joy.