Who is this woman who heard through the Angel Gabriel, "Will you become the Mother of God?" The whole world entered into silence and hiddenness when that "yes" went forth, and the pregnancy of God himself entered into her being. The Incarnation began a revolution of love that continues even now—in you and me.

The Mother of God is all love. So, if you seek love, you must go to her as children and drink from her tenderness and wisdom. Take your fears and hatreds, in all their various negative forms, to her. Talk to her. Let her love you so that your broken nature can be filled and restored with her tender love.

Only then will you be able to absorb the heights and depths of the words of her Son. Without her, you will not know what his words mean in their profundity, in their interior life-giving power.

Who will bring forth the new creation in us? Call upon the Holy Spirit with verve and confidence. Allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate, to reveal all the untruths in your mind and heart. Step by step, take your maladies of hatred, fear, anger, and resentment to the Mother of God, and she will gently and quietly give you the security and safety that you desire.

All of history changed at the Annunciation, at the moment Our Lady said, "Fiat!" At that moment, the cross and the crib were wed. The inevitable outcome of the history of the universe began. No matter what tomorrow brings, the end of the story is resurrection for all of us.

— Excerpted from Inflamed by Love, pp. 22, 23, & 30, available from MH Publications.