The life of the mother of Jesus was simple and plain. There was nothing out of the ordinary about her external life-at least not revealed in Scripture. Yet what amazing grace was revealed in Mary's attitude! When the angel announced that her child would be called "the Son of God," she responded, "Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

Her answer contained all that our Lord requires-the pure, simple submission of the soul to His will. This was the heart of Mary's deep spirituality: She abandoned herself to God's will in the present and received the grace to do what God asked of her.

What is God asking you to do? It may be something magnificent, or something ordinary. It may be to respond actively to a command of Scripture, or to submit patiently to present suffering. "What God arranged for us to experience at each moment is the holiest thing that could happen to us," said the 18th-century writer Jean-Pierre de Caussade.

Are you able to accept each moment with grace and submission? Can you respond to the Lord as Mary said to the angel, "Let it be to me according to your word"?