1st Joyful Mystery - The Annunciation

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Have you ever received an invitation?  Maybe to a birthday party, or a wedding, or some other special occasion?   It's nice to be remembered by the friend who invited you and it's thrilling to anticipate how fun the party will be.  But what if you received an invitation from God!

Now, the people of Israel were having a rough time, and they hoped and hoped that God would finally come to deliver them from their enemies.  God had promised them that one day, he would raise up a king, a descendant of great King David, who would rid Israel of all its enemies and bring an everlasting peace.  They were anxiously awaiting their invitation.

There was a young, Jewish girl named Miriam who was not too much older than you sixth graders, and who was also hoping for an invitation from God.  She loved God so much and only wanted to do what pleased Him.  She knew that whatever God wanted for her was what was best for her and would make her the most happy.  She prayed every day that God would show her what He had planned for her.

Then an amazing thing happened!  An angel named Gabriel - beautiful beyond all words, as if he were made of both light and music - appeared to Miriam!  She was scared at first, but knew this was a messenger from God.  The angel had a very special invitation for her: Would she be willing to become the mother of the great King who would finally deliver the people of God from all their troubles?  "The Holy Spirit will overshadow you... and you will bear a Son, and call his name Jesus... And his kingdom will have no end."  Would she be part of God's plan, not only for herself, but for all mankind?  The angel - indeed, all of creation - waited for her answer.

Miriam (today we usually call here Maria or Mary) surely had a lot of questions: What about my plans?  What will happen to me now?  How can I know this is the right thing to do?  What about my fiance, Joseph?  Will he believe me if I tell him all this?  Even though she was not sure what this invitation would mean for her life, she loved God more than anything and wanted to serve Him with her whole heart and her whole life!  Her trust in God's plan for her drove away any questions.

Miriam answered the invitation with some of the most precious and powerful words in all of history:

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Let it be done to me according to your word."

From that time, our Lord and Savior Jesus, by whom the entire universe was created, entered into human history and became a tiny, tiny baby in Miriam's womb.
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Some questions to think about:

With what situation would you like God to help you or your family?  Have you discussed this with him?  Have you considered that what God knows you need may be different that what you think you want?

Do you believe that God is a loving Father?  Do you trust that he wants the best for you and has a unique plan just for you?  What are some ways that you can know better what God's plan is for you?

God does not force anyone to accept his plan for them?  We must say Yes to God and accept his invitation?  Are you willing to say Yes to God, even if it means saying No to some of the things of this world that are attractive, but not part of God's plan?

- Mr. Mark

"Become a saint!"

St. Francis of Assisi

Oct. 4 was the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.  Soon, we will begin watching a wonderful movie on the lives of Saints Clare & Francis. In these two, we see a clear depiction of what it means to be living Gospels & disciples of Jesus Christ.

Clare was born into a noble family at a time of war in this part of Italy between rival city-states. She could most likely have looked forward to marrying into a life of luxury & privilege, but being pious & devout from childhood, she longed to be united to the perfect Bridegroom. Her family, especially her uncle, becomes increasingly aggressive in forcing her to marry, so Clare is forced to discern her vocation - her calling from God - and then act.

Of Clare we must ask: Is it right for her to resist her father's wishes? Is she just being selfish? What makes her decision to different than any other rebellious teenager? Was she wrong to run away?

Francis was also born into privilege, but it was his father's hard work as a cloth merchant that provided for the family. His father, Peter Bernardone, had great dreams of Francis becoming a knight, & this was Francis' dream, too. However, after experiencing the horror of warfare in his first battle, he goes on a quest for meaning in his life that brings him to the company of lepers & a wooden cross of Christ in a fallen-down chapel. He must leave his own family behind him, & become a knight in the service of a very different king.

Of Francis, we ask: What must we be willing to give up to follow Christ? Is breaking his father's heart part of God's plan? How are we to know what we are called to do among all the voices telling us to do others things? How do we know we are doing the right thing?

These are all questions that we have, too. What price are we willing to pay to follow Jesus? How do we know we are on the right path? We will soon see how Clare & Francis find the answers together. Perhaps they can help us find them, too.

- Mr. Mark

"Become a saint!"