Angel

There was an angel in my box today. It is a small terra cotta angel, posed seated and holding a real candle. It came from my grandmother's house. It stayed outside in the garden during spring and summer, and moved inside during colder months where it could be found perched on a bookshelf, or the mantel or by the hearth. At times my grandmother called it her guardian angel, and growing up I remember always looking for it as she liked to move it around from time to time, so you never knew where it might turn up.
While my angel is childlike and lovely, the angel Gabriel must be fearsome to look upon, for he generally starts his messages from God with "Do not be afraid". I reminded the children that the Bible tells us that the story of Jesus begins with the angel Gabriel bringing God's message of hope. And while the respected priest Zechariah did not believe Gabriel's message for him, the young Mary simply accepted it, opening her heart and saying "Here am I, servant of the Lord". Like Mary, we should all keep our hearts open and ready, waiting for God to show us what is needed of us. We all should be ready to answer God's call with "Here am I, servant of the Lord".