Daily Thought For December 20, 2020
God's Promises
Lectio
Luke 1:26–38
Meditatio
“… the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Sometimes it seems God’s promises lay dormant for a long time! Who has not waited for good things to happen to our loved ones after months or years of prayer? The Annunciation to the Virgin Mary is a much-cherished story of how God fulfills his promises in ways and at times that exceed what we could ever imagine! The Father always manifests himself and acts through his Son and the Holy Spirit.
It took almost a thousand years for God’s promises to David to find their fulfillment in Jesus. No one could have predicted the marvelous way God’s providential plan would reveal itself! Instead of an earthly king, the Father sends his Son through the “yes” of a modest virgin living in an insignificant town of a conquered people. God sends a King far beyond anyone’s expectations or dreams, his own Son who embraces our human condition.
In this lovely reading, we hear again of Israel’s ancient longing fulfilled in Mary’s “yes,” and of God’s goodness to Elizabeth who conceives her long-desired child. God fulfills his promises to these holy women in ways that surpassed their deepest hopes and expectations!
Have you ever experienced a disappointment that broke your heart, with little hope for the future? If you are patient and wait for God’s time, God will give you something much more precious. Perhaps you found that such a purification brought you to a deeper intimacy with God in prayer and to an inner freedom. What we learn during this journey of disappointment, purification, and trust often leads us to say, “I wouldn’t choose to experience that kind of disappointment again, but neither would I exchange what I have learned about myself and God’s goodness for anything! God’s dream for me was so much bigger than I ever imagined!”
Oratio
Jesus, the “fullness of time” (cf. Gal 4:4) arrived for us at the moment of the Incarnation when you embraced our humanity in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Your love for me is always more than I can imagine. You give me what I need when I need it. May your Spirit help me today to recognize and welcome the people through whom you are acting in my life. Help me to trust in your tender providence and to surrender to your plan of love. You know what is best!
Contemplatio
“May it be done to me according to your word.”
Daughters of Saint Paul. (2009). Advent Grace: Daily Gospel Reflections (pp. 60–61). Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media.