Word of Life

March 2011

“Here am I,the servantof the Lord;let it be with me accordingto your word“

(Lk 1,38)

To each of us, as to Mary, God wants to reveal his idea for us: he wants to let us know our true identity.

He seems to say, ‘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 youand 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 that constrains us,but it is the unveiling of his love for us, of his project in us.

God’s will is sublime like God himself,fascinating and enthralling like his face: it is God who gives

himself.

The will of God is a golden thread, a divine pattern woven through the whole of our earthly life and

beyond.It is a plan that starts from eternity and goes to

eternity.At first it is in the mind of God,

then on this earth and, in the end, in Paradise.

But in order for God’s design to be completely fulfilled,God asks for my assent, for your assent, as he did with Mary.

This is the only way to fulfil the word that God has uttered about me, about you. So we too, like Mary, are asked to say:

“Here am I,the servantof the Lord;let it be with me accordingto your word“

(Lk 1,38)

Certainly, his will is not always clear to us.Like Mary we too will need to ask for light

to understand what God wants.

With great sincerity we must listen well to his voice within us

and, if need be, ask advice from those who can help.But once we have understood his will,

we want to say ‘yes’ to him straightaway.

If, indeed, we have understood that his will is the greatestand most beautiful thing that could happen in our life,we will not resign ourselves to ‘having to do’ the will of

God.

Instead we will be glad to ‘be able’ to do the will of God,to be able to follow his plan,

so that his idea for us might come about.It is the best and most intelligent thing we can do.

Sometimes, nonetheless, what he asks of us can seem absurd. It would seem better to us to do something

different;we would like to decide for ourselves.

We might almost want even to advise Godand tell him what to do and not do.

But if I believe that God is love and trust him,I know that what he sets up for my life and for the

livesof those close to me is for my good and theirs too.

So I put myselfin his hands,

I abandon myselfto his will with full trust, and I want itwith the whole of

myself, to the pointof being one with it,

knowing that to welcome his will is to

welcome him, embrace him

and be nourishedwith 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 physical or moral condition, is without meaning.

On the contrary, every event, situation or personbears a message from God. Everything contributes

to the fulfilment of God’s design, which we will discoverbit by bit, day by day, doing the will of God as Mary did.

Mary’s words ‘Here I am, the servant of the Lord’, therefore, become our loving response to God’s

love.They keep us always turned towards him,

in an attitude of listening and of obedience,wanting only to do his will, to be as he wants us

to be.

“Here am I,the servantof the Lord;let it be with me accordingto your word“

(Lk 1,38)

So how can we live this Word? Practically speaking

our ‘yes’ to the word of God means doing welland completely all that he asks us to do

in every present moment.

We should devote ourselves wholeheartedlyto whatever we are doing, putting aside everything

else,letting go of any thoughts, desires, memories,

actions that have to do with anything else.

We can say in front of every will of God,whether it be painful, joyful or indifferent,

‘Let it be with me according to your word’ or,as Jesus taught us in the ‘Our Father’: ‘Your will be

done.’

Let’s tell him this before each

of our actions:‘May it be done’,

‘Your will be done.’ We will compose,

moment by moment, piece by

piece,the marvellous,

unique and unrepeatable

mosaic of our livesthat the Lord

has always had in mind for each one

of us.

“Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me

according to your word“ (Lk 1,38)

“Word of Life”, monthly publication of the Focolare Movement.

Original text by: Chiara Lubich, December 2002.

Graphic design by Anna Lollo in collaboration with Fr. Placido D’Omina (Sicily - Italy)

This commentary on the Word of Life is translated in 96 languages,

and it reaches millions of people throughout the world through the press, radio, TV

and internet – for more information visit www.focolare.org.uk

This Powerpoint presentation is translated in various languages

and is published on www.santuariosancalogero.org

“Word of Life”, monthly publication of the Focolare Movement.

Original text by: Chiara Lubich, December 2002.

Graphic design by Anna Lollo in collaboration with Fr. Placido D’Omina (Sicily - Italy)

This commentary on the Word of Life is translated in 96 languages,

and it reaches millions of people throughout the world through the press, radio, TV

and internet – for more information visit www.focolare.org.uk

This Powerpoint presentation is translated in various languages

and is published on www.santuariosancalogero.org