Luke 1:26-27, Greek
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel
was sent from GOD
unto a city
of Galilee,
named Nazareth,
To a virgin being espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph,
from the house of David;
and the virgin’s name
was
Mariam.
Luke 1:35-38 , Greek
And the angel answered
and said unto her,
The HOLY SPIRIT shall come
upon thee,
and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee:
therefore also the ONE+
being born of you HOLY
shall be called the SON+ of
GOD.
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth,
she hath also conceived
a son in her old age:
and this is the sixth month
with her, who was called sterile.
For with GOD nothing
shall be impossible.
And Mariam said,
Behold the handmaid of the LORD;
be it unto me according to thy word.
And the angel departed from her.
Could young Mariam have refused to carry
The Hebrew MESSIAH+ ?
Yes.
Mariam was not divine; she was
simply Adamic, of the human line of David. She had as much free-will to obey or
disobey the Word of the LORD to her as we do.
At that moment in time, she
yielded her entire being to GOD. Her life was instantly changed, and that, for all
time.
Her purpose in life was instantly
re-directed, instantly re-routed, with no going back.
We all know that Mother-Hood does
indeed change a person. Now there is a tiny human being who is totally helpless
except for the help Mother gives him. He is totally vulnerable except for the
protection of Mother.
But, Mariam's change was greater.
She emptied her life
in an instant.
Being well-trained in
the Commandments of GOD, she knew her life --- as she had hopefully planned it
--- was over. Hebrew girls were stoned to death if they were with child without
a husband.
This particular young Hebrew
virgin accepted GOD'S Will for her life,
turning her care and well-being over to GOD. Her heart was in accord with Job's words: Even though HE slay me, yet will I trust HIM , Job
13:15a.
If GOD asked great things of her,
could she not trust HIM to take care of her through it all ?
Likewise, if The LORD asks an
obedience of us, are we willing to empty our lives for HIM+ ?
It is a sure thing that GOD will
not share the throne with Self.
How do we come to such a state,
where the LORD will ask us to empty our lives for HIM+ ?
We practice.
We practice
individually, within the secret place of our hearts.
We practice daily and
hourly, if need be.
We practice
EMPTYING ourselves
for
HIM+.
We shun all leadings of Self to
aggrandize itself. Rather, we turn to The LORD in humility, asking His+ help to
forsake our natural Self-interest.
We practice by training ourselves
to STOP OUR DAY in order to worship HIM+ throughout... be it 5 minutes on the hour
or some other similar discipline.
We practice yielding
to His+ Will
…
in every SMALL matter,
through the day.
That is how we monastic-at-heart train
ourselves and practice obedience.
Little is written about Mariam's
growing-up years or training. Little is written about her adult years that
would warrant adulation.
Aside from her carrying The Divine
Babe+ in her virgin womb, Sister Mariam's greatest gift to mankind is her
example of yielded, total obedience to the Word of GOD, the WORD+ made flesh
Who+ dwelt among us.
Let us Pray:
O Life-Giving LORD JESUS, I
empty my life out for THEE+.
Fill me with Thy+ Blessed
SPIRIT, so that I may learn to please THEE+ in every small matter, that I may
be closer to THEE+. Prune away the warped areas, O LORD, and train me to go in
the way THOU+ dost will.
Here is my empty Self;
take it for Thy+ good pleasure, O LORD JESUS.
I thank THEE+, O CHRIST, for
even wanting me. I join myself to THEE+
in love.
Holy, Holy, Holy
LORD GOD
ALMIGHTY
WHO+ is,
WHO+ was,
and
WHO+ is to come.
Maranatha.
Come, LORD
JESUS.
Amen
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