One of my favourite feast days in the month of March is the Feast of the Annunciation. This feast that is held on March 25, provides a great reminder for me of the perfect example of acceptance of Divine Will.

My mother used to tell me that my stubborn nature was revealed when I was ten years old, and as the eldest of her four children, she would have preferred a more agreeable nature. That stubborn streak gave me one benefit; I persevered through many of the obstacles that I had to overcome for the next six decades. Of course, it took me till I was forty to realize that God’s way was far superior to MY WAY.

It was on my first retreat when I was 39 that I really met Our Lady. The spiritual director gave me The Magnificat (Luke 1: 46 – 55 ) as my reading for that silent retreat. A full size statue of Mary in the garden became the focus for my inner conversations. I even felt her suggest how a good confession would change my life for the better and it did.

The tears that flowed that day helped prepare me for the birth of a new friendship with Her Son, and from that reading, I discovered just how much she loved God. Her purpose in life was clear; service to His will. What had begun when the angel Gabriel spoke to her and invited her to be the Mother of God, was enhanced by what she shared with her cousin Elizabeth. Mary’s soul wanted to love God with all her being, and her trust in His will helped me to see that God has a plan for all of us who want to love and serve Him.

So every March 25 I tell her how grateful I am for her direction and thank her for all the favours received from Our Lord through her. It is sad that some denominations think that we have to go through Mary to reach Jesus. If only they knew the friendship that Jesus’ Mother wants to give us, and how it can strengthen our faith to see her as the great example of service that she is.

I have a vision. I believe that one day Christians throughout the world will know  that what started with Mary saying YES to God,  giving us Jesus, the Saviour of the world, can reunite us as a family of believers. If all Christians would open their hearts to her, and sincerely pray the Hail Mary, she would gather us together again as one strong Christian family. I am sure that Jesus wants this, and with her help, and our ecumenical prayers, it will happen.