When God Calls

We all receive annunciations in life; whether they are good or bad we should always seek guidance from God and reliable people about them.

We have all heard annunciations. "I am pregnant" "I got a job" "We bought a house" Some annunciations are tragic: "You have six months to live." "There's been an accident." "We found the body."

In many annunciations, it may seem that we do not have a choice. However, we do. We can choose how to respond: Will we be joyful or upset over the pregnancy? Will we focus on the new job's benefits or deficiencies? Will we anticipate moving with eagerness or bitterness? If we have only six months to live, will we enjoy the time and repair relationships or will we wallow in self-pity? In an accident, will we accept God's will or will we dwell on "what it's?" If a body is found, will we surrender the soul to God's mercy or will we allow grief to paralyse us?

God is my comfort

God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin because Gabriel means "God is my comfort. We usually comfort three kinds of people, especially the sick, the bereaved and the fearful".

Mary was fearful when she heard the Angel Gabriel's announcement.  "Who, having heard, was troubled (Lk 1:29) And thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. She was troubled because of her modesty and from prudence she wondered at the new form of blessing".

The Angel went on to say, "Behold, thou shalt conceived in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son (Lk 1 :31). And thou shalt call his name Jesus. " Note that we read of five persons who are called by God before they were conceived in the womb.

The first was Isaac, of whom Genesis 17 says: "Sarah, thy wife shall bear thee a son and thou shalt call his name Isaac" (Gen 17 : 19).

The second was Samson, of whom Judges 13 says, "The Angel said to the wife of Manue: Thou shalt conceive and bear a son" (Judges 13: 3).

The third was Josiah, of whom 1 Kings 13 says "Behold, a child shall be born  to the house of David, Josiah by name."

The fourth and fifth were John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

Unforeseen Consequences

Annunciations have far reaching, unforeseen and even unthinkable consequences. Biblical annunciations reveal that the children had roles in God's plan, but their parents could never have imagined how their children would fulfill their roles.

God told Abraham, "I will  bless her (Abraham's wife Sarah) and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her" (Gen 17:16).  God then revealed Isaac as the son's name. Trusting in God, neither Abraham nor Sarah could possibly imagine that God would ask them to sacrifice this promised son, although God deemed sufficient the willingness to do so. Isaac grew up to become the father of Jacob, who became father of the Israelites and Esau, who became father of the Edomites.

Would Samson's parents have hoped that their son would someday love a conniving woman who would betray him to his enemies? Through this betrayal began the deliverance from the Philistines, thus fulfilling the angel's prophecy.

Josiah's father Amon was an evil king, just as his father Mannaseh had been. Both cared about power, not God's laws. Could either of them have imagined that Josiah would rediscover the Jewish law and have the people live it?

How could Zechariah and Elizabeth have projected that their son John would have a penchant for the desert, which caused him to live an ascetic life while calling others to repentance?

Could the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph possibly foresee that the innocent Jesus would "save His people from their sins" (Mt 1: 21), by offering Himself as a sacrifice to be tortured and murdered as if He, instead of us, had sinned?

Seek Counsel

Annunciations frequently change the course of our lives and the lives of others. Therefore, it is helpful to seek counsel. Annunciations are part of God's plan. That is sufficient reason to find joy in the annunciation through which God is trusting us into sanctity.

In Samson (meaning 'their sun') we see those who preach  the word of God, who in word and example should be the 'sun' of those to whom they preach. When tragedy arises, we should turn to the Word of God, to scripture and to counselors who can enlighten and support us.

In Josiah (meaning ' place of insence, or of sacrifice') we see true religious, in whom is the insence of devout prayer and the sacrifice of mortified flesh. Prayer and penance, whether in gratitude or in reparation or supplication, should follow  every annunciation. Prayer helps us deal with the news. Those with religious vocations recognise the need for prayer and are conscientious about praying. It is prudent to ask religious to pray for and with us.

In the Baptist we see all penitents and good secular folk who baptize and sanctify themselves in the  Jordan River (The River of Judgment), that is, in tears and confession, in bestowal of alms and in other works of mercy. In Jesus the Saviour we see all good prelates of the Church. This reminds us to turn to a good priest for prayer, insight and guidance, particularly if the annunciation brings overpowering and confusing emotions.

Look Within

No matter whether the announcement is delightful or tragic, we should look inward to see how we should change to deal best with the news. We can consult holy, spiritual people, including Priests and religious, for insight. Most importantly, we should pray because prayer opens us to God's grace and guidance.