Trust, Ponder, Praise: Consecration Day 19

Welcome to our 33 day Marian Consecration Retreat as we prayerfully anticipate the commencement of the Year of Mercy. Join us as we share the book 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration by Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC.

Today's Reflection:

Imagine you’re a 13-year-old girl. You wake up one morning. There’s an angel in your room. He tells you that you will conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. The child will be a boy. He will be great. He will be a king in the line of David… and, oh ya… he will be the Son of God. In fact, he will be God.

Wow! That’s a pretty big morning for a teen-ager! How would you react? Take a moment right now. Close your eyes and imagine God telling you a plan for your life that seems so surreal, so impossible, that you don’t even know how to begin to make sense of it. What would your initial response be?

There have been many times in my life when God’s plan seemed so far from what I thought it was. I have experienced changes that were completely unexpected and events that appeared beyond my abilities to cope. When such events occur, the easy reaction is to ask, “Why Lord? Why me?” The right (and sometimes not so easy) reaction is to pray, to give God praise, and to thank Him for the change, even if you don’t understand it. When we face challenging times, the most perfect response is to follow in the footsteps of Our Blessed Mother—to trust, to ponder, and to give praise.

When Mary experienced those incredible (and I do mean incredible) moments, such as being told she would be the mother of God, or being told that a sword would piece her heart, she didn’t question God, rather she kept all those things in her heart. She prayerfully pondered them. And in her Magnificat she responds by singing praises to God.

To Ponder:

When faced with difficult times that I cannot comprehend, do simply ask, “What does this mean?” Or do I prayerfully ponder, like Mary, and ask, “What does this mean in light of God’s will for my life?”

Let Us Pray:

Blessed Mother, as painful and difficult changes enter my life help me to follow your example. Help me to trust in God’s plan of sheer goodness for me, teach me to hold those things in my heart that I don’t quite understand and ponder as you did, and in that moment, guide me in my song of praise to the Lord.

Copyright 2015 Kelly Wahlquist