A Lesson On Trusting In God

Mary’s Lesson on Trusting In God
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA, Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
Email: Mission_St_Sergius@msn.com
The Feast of The Immaculate Conception celebrates Our Lady‘s complete trust in Almighty God. The feast also celebrates God’s greatest gift to humankind, His beloved son Jesus Christ.
The feast celebrates the fact that Almighty God deemed that the woman who was to bring His son into the world would be free of the stain of sin that all the rest of humankind is prone to in order that she would be a pure vessel within which Our blessed Lord would be conceived through the Holy Spirit and nurtured to human life for nine months. When He sent His messenger, the Angel Gabriel, to her to inform her that God had chosen her to bear the promised one of the prophets with these words "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:29-35. Mary asked; “How can this be, for I know not man?. "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and 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." The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”
The redeemer foretold by God when He drove Satan from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:14-16 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” and in Isaiah 11: 1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse: from his roots a branch will bear fruit.” was to be born to this unmarried woman.
What faith in God she must have had to accept this message. After all, the punishment for having had a sexual relation without being married , even though betrothed to Joseph they were not married nor had they had relations, was to be stoned to death as an adulteress.
Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message was “Let it be done to me according to God’s will” Luke 1:38
In our daily live we are often faced with challenges or situations where we have great apprehension do we respond to them with “Let it be done to me according to God’s will” as Mary did or do we gross and complain because things are difficult.?
What might have gone through Our Blessed Mothers mind when Simeon told her or our minds if we received this message? "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." Luke 2: 34-35
Mary gave us an example to follow in our own live and it was to seek out God in prayer and putting our trust in God will for us. When we do we acquire a sense we will come through our difficulties alright. After all, Even Jesus, when faced with what was about to happen after His entry into Jerusalem cried out to God "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." Matthew 26:41-43For me this feast day has special significance. It was on Dec. 8th, 1957 that I could not fall asleep because of a series of thoughts flashing through my mind, I finally got up and wrote down what I was thinking and went back to bed to fall into a peaceful and deep sleep. Upon awakening the following day I noticed this paper with writing on it , read it and thought, “My mother will like this” and mailed it off to her. 30 years later, after mom passed on, as I was going through her things, I found the original paper I had written that night. I will end this reflection with this advice to you and the words I wrote that Dec. 8th night in 1957.
Always believe in God and put your trust in Him. He will never forsake you or reject you no matter what others may tell you. Talk to Him often, either with formal prayers or just regular conversation as though He were your best friend sitting there with you, WHICH HE IS. AND If you want to do as I did that night in 1957 pray these words I called A SINNER’S PRAYER.
A SINNER’S PRAYER
Written in 1957 By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
O, Mary Immaculate, virgin so fair, mother of Our Savior, please hear my prayer.
Intercede, dearest mother, to your heavenly son.
Tell Him I am truly sorry for all the wrongs and sins I have done.
Ask Him to guide me by the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit in all of my ways
So that I might give Him honor, glory and praise with all the Heavenly elect when I come to the end of my earthly days. AMEN