Annunciation

Today's Readings

On this Annunciation Day we experience Jesus in a human way, initiating the power of his own intention to accomplish the will of the Father. In words from St. Paul recounting Jesus' words that "I have come to do the Father's will," Likewise we celebrate Mary's fulfillment of God's will for herself. In saying "Fiat voluntas tua" (may your will be done), Mary is acknowledging the power of intention that exists in the world for herself. In the instance of Jesus and Mary bother were not confused by problems with ego identification.

For the human race, however, making the power of intention a grace that is operative in our lives, we need to adopt the process presented by Dyer. It is an interesting four-step process that involves the following: Discipline, Wisdom, Love and Surrender ... all of those "easy" challenges in life ... that enable us to let go of any hold our egos have over us.

When we learn something new, we are requested to adopt new practices that come about only through Discipline, the discipline of letting go. The second step or stage is Wisdom. This is the wonderful grace that enables us, along with Discipline, to add focus and patience to what we are about on our journey of faith. Thirdly, to achieve the power of intention we need to incorporate a love: loving what we do and doing what we love, as Dyer would express it. Lastly, the fourth step, is an invitation to Surrender. Having determined to adopt a new way of thinking, focusing on what it means for us and then loving and doing it, we surrender and egotistical control it might have over us.

We are invited to allow the same power that turns acorns into trees, blossoms into apples and the microscopic dots into humans" to become the power that leads our hearts. This is the process that allows us to take hold of the power of intention that can make our lives so much stronger and that can bring us so much closer to understand the love of God for us. It is that same understanding that Jesus and Mary had for themselves and their desire to to the will of God.