Word Of Life

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38)

These words mark the beginning of Mary's divine adventure. The angel had just revealed God's plans for her: to be the mother of the Messiah. Before giving her consent she wanted to make sure that this was truly the will of God, and once she understood that this is what he wanted she did not hesitate a moment to adhere to it wholeheartedly. From then on, Mary abandoned herself completely to God's will, even during the most painful and tragic moments.

All generations call Mary blessed (Lk. l-48) because she did not do her own will but the will of God; because she trusted fully in all that God asked of her. She fulfilled herself completely, to the point of becoming the Woman par excellence.

This is the fruit of doing God's will: we attain self-fulfilment, we acquire total freedom, and we reach our true being. God has always thought of us, He has loved us from all eternity; we have always had a place in His heart.

God wants to reveal to each one of us our true identity, as He did to Mary. He seems to say to us: "Do you want me to make you and your life into a masterpiece"? Then follow the path I will show you and you will become what you have always been in my heart. In fact, from all eternity I have thought of you and loved you and I have uttered your name. By telling you my will I am revealing your true self."

So His will is not an imposition forced on us, but the expression of His love for us, of His project for us. God's will is sublime as God Himself, deeply fascinating and heavenly as His face: it is God giving Himself to us.

The will of God is like a golden thread, a divine pattern woven through the whole of our earthly life and beyond; it goes from eternity to eternity: first in the mind of God, then on this earth and, finally, in heaven. But in order for God's design to be fulfilled completely, as He did with Mary, God asks for our consent. This is the only way to fulfil the word which God has uttered about me, about you. So we too, like Mary, are asked to say:

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

Of course God's will is not always clear to us. Like Mary, we too will need to ask for light to understand what He wants. We need to listen attentively and sincerely to His voice within us; if need be, ask advice from those who can help us.

But once we have understood His will, we want to say "yes" at once. In fact, if we have understood that His will is the greatest and most beautiful reality that could happen in our life, we will not resign ourselves to "having to do" the will of God, but we will be happy to "be able" to do the will of God, to be able to follow His plans, so that what He wants for us will be fulfilled. It is the best and most intelligent thing we can do.

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord", Mary's words therefore become our loving response to God's love. They keep us turned towards him, always listening and obeying, wanting only to do His will, to be as He wants us to be.

Sometimes, what He asks of us can seem absurd. We would do things differently, we would like to decide for ourselves. We might even want to advise God and tell Him what to do and not to do. But if I believe that God is love and I trust Him, I know that what He plans for me and for those close to me is for my good, for their good. So I entrust myself to Him, I abandon myself with total trust in His will and I want it with all my heart, to the point of being one with it, knowing that to welcome His will is to welcome Him, embrace Him and be nourished with Him.

We must believe that nothing happens by chance. No event, whether it be joyful, indifferent or painful, no encounter, no situation in the family, at work or at school, no moral or physical condition, is without meaning. On the contrary, every event, situation or person bears a message from God. Everything contributes to the fulfilment of God's design which He will discover little by little, day by day, doing the will of God as Mary did.

How should we live this Word of Life? Practically speaking, our "yes" to the word of God means doing well and completely all that He asks us to do in every present moment. We should devote ourselves wholeheartedly to whatever we are doing, putting aside everything else, letting go of any other thought, desire, memory or action.

Before every will of God, whether it is painful, joyful or indifferent, we can say: "May it be done to me according to your word" or, as Jesus taught us in the "Our Father", "Your will be done". Let's say it before each of our actions: "Let it be done", "Your will be done". We will compose, moment by moment, piece by piece, the marvellous, unique and unrepeatable mosaic of our life that the Lord has always had in mind for each one of us.