Luke 1:38. Then the angel
departed from her.
This verse marks the
end of the passage that is very familiar to most, if not all, of us, the
Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the Angel Gabriel that she would conceive
and become the mother of Jesus. I am (and perhaps many of you are) when hearing
or reading this passage, typically drawn to the calling out of Mary as God’s
“favored one” and Mary’s ultimate acceptance in humility of this frightening
and awesome condition.
This time, when I read
the passage as I was preparing my Lenten reflection, I was struck, for the
first time, by the role of the Angel Gabriel. What came to me almost
immediately is how much I rely on God’s angels to guide and comfort me and to
help in answering my prayers. I pray to the angels quite often, particularly
when I or those close to me need to make an important decision or when we find
ourselves in difficult circumstances. I’m not sure why this has become my practice,
certainly in part due to my Roman Catholic upbringing and childish sense that I
am not worthy enough to ask God directly. But, also and more importantly,
because I truly believe that there are angels who are messengers of God, and
they are here to be with us, holding us and helping us to discern how God is
calling us to respond to life’s challenges, just as did the Angel Gabriel in
the Bible passage above. I believe the angel was not simply God’s emissary, but
was a divine light, guiding Mary as she contemplated the mighty circumstance
put before her. Like Mary, we too can count on the angels to be with us, to
hold and to guide us as we endeavor to discern God’s will for us in our life’s
journey.
“Angel of God, my
Guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.” (The Guardian Angel Prayer)
—Zonnie
Breckinridge
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