March 25, 2026 // Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
Reflect on the Word //
I paced restlessly, each second an eternity. My gaze darted between my husband and the test on the bathroom counter. Finally, the timer sounded; I bolted to look. “Only one line,” I announced, conflicting emotions swirling. My husband peered over my shoulder, then leaned closer. “I don’t think so,” he murmured, pointing. Squinting more closely, I caught my breath. The faintest second line was visible. His face broke into the widest grin as he wrapped me in his arms. “Another baby!” he breathed.
Thank you, Lord. What a blessing!
My heart raced.
And . . . I’m already overwhelmed, so scared of another loss. Lord, please help!
I pondered how, much like our Lady at the Annunciation, I had only the word of an outside source to confirm the presence of this new life within me, the fiat echoing in my heart amid countless questions and worries, and the singular promise of God’s eternal plan for this precious soul. The physical assurance of symptoms would take several days and the visible evidence many months. The same demands of daily life would continue. Yet, like our Lady, we now knew its intentional direction and purpose. Another soul, created in the image and likeness of God. A deeper yes, a more surrendered trust, a fuller mission.
“May it be done to me”—this was our Lady’s unreserved, wholehearted response (Luke 1:38). The one God invited me to imitate. Not only with this new baby, but in everything He wished to conceive in me, heart and soul.
You, too, are invited to this response.
In each and every calling. In every single prompting, big or small: Lord, may it be done to me.
Whatever tangle of joy and grief, suffering and redemption may await: May it be done to me.
No matter how vague the details or uncertain the future: May it be done to me.
Why? Because whatever the Lord does to us is always for us—for our highest good. Everything the Lord does brings about life. New life from nothingness, eternal life from death, abundant life from human limitations.
Relate to the Lord // Pray today with our Lady: Yes, Lord, may I let Your life be conceived in and through me—now and always.
Megan Hjelmstad (“Helm-stead”) is a wife, enthusiastic hockey mom, and Army Veteran living in Denver, CO. After serving fifteen years in the United States Army, Megan now serves the Church as an author, speaker, and women's mentor in her “spare” time. Megan loves to share God’s hope in suffering and is the author of Offer it Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering. She’s a long-time team member of Blessed is She and a writer and speaker for several other ministries. Megan adores books, sleep, sunshine, and Colorado’s great outdoors almost as much as she adores Jesus in the Eucharist. Learn more at MeganHjelmstad.com.
Get Your Planner 📒
Be a Woman of the Word
Walk with Jesus
