Eve of the Annunciation

We are now about to celebrate another great Solemnity -- is it Mary, or Jesus? I'm sure opinions abound on whether or not this is a Marian feast or a feast of Jesus. However, I tend toward a Marian feast because it is the celebration of the day the angel told her you are blessed above all women and you're going to have God's baby.

She asked how that was going to happen since she had not done the deed with anyone, and she gets that mysterious answer, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you."

Now if you were Mary would you check yourself into a mental hospital? Have a drink? Run home and tell mom? Consult your rabbi? or say

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

Clearly angels will not suddenly appear to any girls now and tell them they are going to have God's baby, but it makes me wonder how often do we get Annunciations, and flat out ignore them? We are so careful to be sane, modern people, that the merest hint of the "supernatural" of God has GOT to be psychotic. Right?

I would say that Bishop Oscar Romero had an Annunciation of sorts that converted him from a high class kinda guy, no nasty low life Indians please, to a Bishop who gave birth in his heart to Christ, the lover of the poor. He ended up taking a bullet for his trouble, too.

Dorothy Day? Mother Theresa? What about you personally? Has God sent an angel to you and you said, "I need to stop working so hard." Or, "I'm starting to lose it."

I issue that challenge not to the ungodly, but to the religious people who read this blog. May God open our eyes and hearts to his messengers at all times. May we be pliable in God's wisdom, plans, and ways. Amen.