{"id":714772,"date":"2018-02-28T08:30:17","date_gmt":"2018-02-28T14:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=714772"},"modified":"2018-02-27T20:34:29","modified_gmt":"2018-02-28T02:34:29","slug":"she-pondered-the-greeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/she-pondered-the-greeting\/","title":{"rendered":"She Pondered the Greeting"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cHail, full of grace,\u201d said the angel to the young woman.<\/p>\n

And Mary was perplexed. She pondered the greeting.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve spent a lot of time pondering this greeting too. It comes up every Monday and Saturday as the assigned meditation of the rosary. And I also heard it four times between Advent, Christmas and a votive Mass. I\u2019ve spent a lot of time pondering it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHail, Full of Grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have been learning from a priest about identity and mission. Every single person has the identity in God as Beloved Son or Daughter of the Heavenly Father. As Creator, He defines our identity. It\u2019s relational. It\u2019s a profound goodness, a reflection of the One who made us and not of the earthly qualifiers like wealth, beauty or performance. We can\u2019t lose it. This discovery in and of itself is a deep place of healing in my life. And it\u2019s taken a long time for me to grasp.<\/p>\n

Then there is a unique identity that is specific to how the Father made us. He is infinite and has an incredible imagination. He has made every snowflake different, every fingerprint different and every single person different. We can\u2019t be compared to others because we are unrepeatable. This is also a source of healing for me and I\u2019m still coming to terms with it. God has made me unique and He is in the process of showing me who that is.<\/p>\n

Mary was perplexed. She was told of some of her identity by the angel: Full of Grace. And she pondered what sort of greeting that could be. Mary was also on a path of learning her identity before God. But she didn\u2019t fall into the traps where the rest of us get bogged down.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mary did not fall into a place of superiority at finding she was loved more and had the most important mission of any created being. She knew well that all generations would call her blessed. But she immediately offered praise to the Lord for doing great things for her. She is greatly gifted, but never brags. She doesn\u2019t turn into a pageant mom with her kid who is definitively better than every other kid ever born. And she doesn\u2019t take a drop of credit for herself, instead magnifying God with her soul.<\/p>\n

Mary also does not fall into a place of inferiority or false humility. She asks how the mission of Jesus\u2019 conception can be accomplished if she has not \u201cknown man,\u201d a question of mechanics. It is not, \u201cHow can this be, since I\u2019m not good enough?\u201d or \u201cHow can this be, because I\u2019m pretty sure I can\u2019t do it?\u201d or \u201cHow can it be that I\u2019m really lovable or wanted?\u201d<\/p>\n

Every time God has encountered me and told me I was His Beloved Daughter, I have been perplexed deep in my soul, but not the way Mary was. I was baffled: \u201cWhat do you mean I\u2019m loved?\u201d \u201cI didn\u2019t know I could belong.\u201d \u201cWait, if I\u2019m a daughter, I have to let God be in control.\u201d He shows me my gifts, and I balk, \u201cI can\u2019t do it,\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m not good enough,\u201d and \u201cWhy would He pick me?\u201d<\/p>\n

I had to clear many wounds out of the way before I could start to understand what God has made me to be. As such, I graduated last week from two years of counseling. The day your psychologist tells you you aren\u2019t so crazy is a big day. I bought cupcakes. But better than cupcakes is the realization that I really am good, I really am lovable and I really can accomplish the mission God has for me.<\/p>\n

All the hurting places of your soul can block you. Wounded and missing the mark is often the response of ordinary humanity, unlike Mary, whom God spared. She was perplexed for a moment, but she didn\u2019t stay there. Accepting what was told to her, she immediately said, \u201cI am the handmaiden of the Lord.\u201d And now that I\u2019ve come along further, I\u2019m hoping to be like my Mom and say the same.<\/p>\n

I pray for you and the healing of the wounds that block you from knowing who you are and why you were made. May the Lord\u2019s golden healing light join with my love to heal your every wound, and may Mary bring you to the heart of the Father, who made you well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHail, full of grace,\u201d said the angel to the young woman. And Mary was perplexed. She pondered the greeting. I\u2019ve spent a lot of time pondering this greeting too. It comes up every Monday and Saturday as the assigned meditation of the rosary. And I also heard it four times between Advent, Christmas and a… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":215,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[2712,99,957,276,389,96],"class_list":{"0":"post-714772","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"tag-annunciation","8":"tag-hail-mary","9":"tag-healing","10":"tag-identity","11":"tag-mission","12":"tag-rosary","13":"entry","14":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":422224,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/06\/pray-with-me-the-luminous-mysteries-of-the-rosary\/","url_meta":{"origin":714772,"position":0},"title":"Pray with me: the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"June 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Opening Prayers for the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary \"In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Come, Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy well beloved spouse, and Queen of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Luminous-Mysteries-550x138.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Luminous-Mysteries-550x138.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Luminous-Mysteries-550x138.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":254525,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/05\/the-hail-mary-the-visitation-a-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":714772,"position":1},"title":"The Hail Mary, the Visitation: a reflection","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"May 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Mary... the name of that beautiful flower which I always invoke morning and evening.\" ~ Dante I remember learning the Hail Mary when I was 20. I was dating the Catholic boy who I would one day marry. I was curious about the Hail Mary, never having heard more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Hail Mary, the Visitation: a reflection photo Shawn Chapman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/IMG_9295-e1464667186685-172x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":147630,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/chaplet-child-mary\/","url_meta":{"origin":714772,"position":2},"title":"Chaplet of the Child Mary","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"September 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The Chaplet of the Child Mary (to be prayed on ordinary rosary beads) written by me in honor of Our Lady's Birthday Make the sign of the cross and pray the Sh'ma, a prayer the little Mary would have grown up reciting every day with her Jewish family and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"photo Shawn Chapman","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/476622_3665381757608_1810148288_o-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/476622_3665381757608_1810148288_o-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/476622_3665381757608_1810148288_o-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":146909,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/making-rosary-fun-kids\/","url_meta":{"origin":714772,"position":3},"title":"Making the Rosary Fun for Kids","author":"Adam Shaivitz","date":"September 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It's never too early for children to learn how to say the Rosary. 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I didn't know how (or have any desire) to say the Rosary until well into my 30s, so let's not make\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-xG7Jy2OahLA\/Ves8dCFmMCI\/AAAAAAAACRY\/0eFpN_ZHl_Y\/s500\/Photo%25252020150905140256836.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":155538,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/10\/friendship-with-mary-teresian-prayer-and-the-rosary\/","url_meta":{"origin":714772,"position":4},"title":"Friendship with Mary: Teresian Prayer and the Rosary","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"October 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The rosary has been a part of my spiritual life since I learned it from my first husband, Blaze, during our courtship, years before I was ever Catholic (or Christian at all.) It became a natural part of my daily life over the years and has grown and changed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"rosary made by Shawna Marcontel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/IMG_1177-e1444105559518-127x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":181178,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/in-the-spirit-of-advent\/","url_meta":{"origin":714772,"position":5},"title":"In the Spirit of Advent","author":"Ablaze Ministries","date":"December 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year during Advent, the Johnson clan leads a church-wide food drive.\u00a0 We ask our church community to draw a family from our sister parish in downtown Houston and pray for them, give them boxes of food, and maybe get them a present or two.\u00a0 Then two Uhauls get filled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Advent-CCFM","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Advent-CCFM-550x366.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Advent-CCFM-550x366.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Advent-CCFM-550x366.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/215"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=714772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714772\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=714772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=714772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=714772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}