While attending Mass on Thursday of last week (March 25th), I wondered how many Catholics knew what day it was.  Do you know what day March 25th was?

It was the Feast of the Annunciation, a day that really should be designated as a holy day of obligation for all Catholics.  The Feast of the Annunciation is the day that we Catholics celebrate the Angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she was chosen to be the Mother of God.  When she consented, “the Word was made flesh.”

In case you missed Mass on the 25th, here’s the gospel reading which is St. Luke’s version of what happened on the day of the Annunciation (Chapter 1: 26-38):

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.  Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be.  And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever.  And of his kingdom there shall be no end.  And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?  And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee.  And therefore also the Holy one which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God.  And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.  And the angel departed from her.

We’ve heard or read this so many times that we don’t bother to stop and think about the significance or the meaning of what really happened. 

The announcement of the archangel was made to a “virgin” who was “full of grace.”  Has there ever been any other human who was “full of grace”?  We know that Mary was conceived without original sin (the “Immaculate Conception”) and that she never sinned once during her life.  That’s why she was “full of grace.”  It was impossible for the Son of God to have any direct connection with sin, so one of the conditions required for Him to be born of a woman was that she had to be “full of grace.”

Mary’s child was to be “called the Son of God” and He was to have a “kingdom” that would never end.  She was a “handmaid.”  Do you know what a handmaid was?  It was a female attendant, assistant, servant or slave – someone whose essential function was to serve.

What will always be a mystery is why God chose to send His son to the earth through a lowly handmaiden.  Why give such a woman so much POWER – the POWER to have control and influence over a child who would someday rule the Kingdom of God for all eternity?

Last week certain members of the media announced that Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives was “the most powerful woman in America.”  They were wrong.  She is not the most powerful woman in America, but she is the most powerful female politician in Washington, DC.  That is not a compliment.  Even among a group of evil people, someone has to rise to the top and be the most powerful.

You might say that it’s inappropriate for me to imply that Pelosi is “evil.”  I would then ask you: “What is your definition of ‘evil’”?  If I asked 10 people to define the word “evil,” I would get 10 different answers.  But all ten of those people would agree that there are different degrees of evil.  It is a clear teaching of the Catholic Church that any person who helps to pay for an abortion is committing an evil act.  So what if a person uses her POWER to confiscate other people’s money and then in the name of “healthcare,” uses the money to pay for millions of abortions?

Prior to the final vote on the legislation, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops made a final plea to Congress to insert appropriate language in the final bill that would prohibit the use of federal funds to pay for abortions.  Pelosi, who claims to be Catholic, had the audacity to state publicly, on the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19th), that she was praying to St. Joseph for his intercession and help in getting the legislation passed.

After we pass into eternity, we will be able to see who the most powerful woman in America really was during the time we lived here on earth.  Some of us will be surprised to discover that the most powerful woman was, and always will be, that same humble handmaiden who was given the unique and exclusive divine gift of being the daughter of God the Father, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the mother of God the Son – all at the same time.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was given real POWER over all of Heaven and earth by Almighty God.  Fortunately for us, she has been able to hold back God’s hand of justice, but my fear is that His hand is getting heavier and heavier and she may be unable (or unwilling) to continue to hold back the punishment that our nation deserves.

I fear for our nation.  When the U.S. Supreme Court legalized the “right” to kill an unborn child, the people of this country had no say in the matter because the ruling was made by “unelected” judges.  Last week the majority of our “elected representatives” voted to use our tax dollars to pay for other peoples’ murderous acts. 

What can you do about it?  You can pray that God will intervene and put a stop to the use of your money to terminate the lives of His children.  You can promise to attend daily Mass; or you can promise to pray a Rosary every day; or you can promise to dedicate a certain amount of time every day to prayer or spiritual reading.  If you want to make a real difference, you must be willing to make a promise to pray.  Are you willing to make that promise right now?

You have the POWER to change the direction of our country.  With power comes responsibility.  Make the commitment.  Make the promise.  As a nation, we need all the prayers we can get right now.

SHARE