Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
Reflect on the Word// I stared at the blank page of my workbook, brain gnawing at the unanswered questions before me. I had hoped that bringing these prompts to the Lord would jolt me out of the lackluster prayer that had marked the last two days of my retreat. But as I skipped through them despondently, one question stopped me in my tracks: What are your hopes and dreams for the next ten years? Suddenly it hit me: I had no idea.
In this hard season, I had gotten so accustomed to offering up the daily stresses and struggles of life that I had stopped giving myself permission to dream.
Of course, there’s beauty in abandoning ourselves to the present moment, which is where God’s will is manifested to us and holiness is found. But here’s the thing: dreaming, when guided by the Holy Spirit and united to His Heart, is a type of co-creation with God, the perfect planner and master visionary.
Long before the angel appeared to Mary, the Lord dreamed up the idea of who Mary would be. From all eternity, God chose as the mother of His Son, “a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David” (Luke 1:27). In the infinite designs of His Heart, He predestined Mary to be “full of grace” from the first moment of her existence, a privilege known as her Immaculate Conception, which we celebrate today.
As a young girl, Mary must have had a heart soaring with dreams. And yet, she stayed open to God’s designs for her life, which awakened her soul to greater dreams and desires which she didn’t even know she had. And so with a single response of faith—“Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38)—she is able to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in conceiving the Dawn of our salvation, Jesus Christ, thus fulfilling the marvelous plan God dreamed about before time began.
The Lord has a marvelous dream on His Heart for us too. We need only believe it and then allow ourselves to dream bigger. For “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
Relate to the Lord // What are your hopes and dreams? Share them with the Lord (and a friend) today.
Cathy Webb is a consecrated virgin for the Diocese of Wilmington and the creator of the Sacred Heart to Heart journal. A full-time Library Assistant, she loves long books, long skirts, and, above all, long talks with her divine Spouse. She delights in prayerful encounter with the Universal Church, but holds a special place in her heart for Dublin, Ireland, where she gave Christ her “yes.” Find out more about her here.
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