Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary | USCCB
Today the church
commemorates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Our Lord Jesus
Christ. This feast is tied in with the feast of the Immaculate Conception of
Mary nine months earlier on December 8th. Mary had that unique gift
of being conceived without original sin, thus preparing her to be the mother of
the Savior. Pope Pius IX
proclaimed in 1854: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of
her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue
of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from
all stain of original sin.”
With the special gifts and graces that God gave her, we
hear in scripture how our Lady was ever ready to do the will of God. In Luke, chapter one, verse 28, the angel Gabriel addresses Mary, “Hail, full of Grace…”
This is the phrase that the church turns to in her teaching that Mary was
immaculately conceived, thus she was full of Grace. Following Gabriel’s
greeting of calling Mary “full of grace” he indicates that she will be the
mother of the savior. Mary’s response after Gabriel explained how it was to
happen was, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.” (Luke 1:38). This showed that
Mary was ever open to the will of God. As a result of her openness to doing the
will of God, Jesus was able to come into the world to bring us salvation. This
was her “yes” to Gabriel and ultimately to God: “Be it done to me according to
your word.”
It is through the working of God’s grace in Mary’s
willingness to say “yes” to Gabriel that Jesus was able to come into the world.
And further, through St. Joseph’s obedience to the angel in his dreams to take
Mary for his wife, that we can learn how we are to live out our lives. We are called
to follow the examples of Mary and Joseph: always open to do the will of God,
no matter the costs.
Both Mary and Joseph said “yes” to things that seemed impossible
or difficult for them to do. In the gospel for today, we hear of Joseph not
fully understanding how the woman that he loved could be pregnant. He assumed
that she was unfaithful to him and was ready to divorce her quietly in order
not to bring shame upon her. But, being a righteous man, he was able to hear
God speak to him through his dreams, and thus was able to say “yes” to God in
being the foster father of Jesus.
We are all called to say “yes” to God in the various
responsibilities of our lives. Whether it’s being a good and loving spouse, a
good and loving parent, or a loving and obedient child to our parents. These
are different ways that God is calling us to answer the call to bring God into
the world. It is in loving those in our lives that we can bring the love of God
into the world.
Let us always respond to God as Mary did: “May it be
done to me according to your word.”
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteYES, there are many opportunities that Our LORD gives us to say YES to Him in our individual lives. Some of these are opportunities that will bring us great joy & fulfillment & some that will be difficult & challenging & beset with struggle. Some will be a combination of both.
My greatest joy in life has come from saying YES to GOD's call
to go on retreat, to become a lector, to become an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, to come into the Catholic Charismatic Renewal & join a Catholic Charismatic prayer group for 17 years (although I was very hesitant at first), to become a professed member of the Secular Franciscan Order, & to serve in various music ministries (including a parish Folk Group from 1997 to 2009 & St. Margaret's choir since 2010). Last year I accepted, with some uncertainty & hesitation, the role of Formation Director in my Secular Franciscan fraternity. My Local Minister told me he believed I would be good at it & asked me to run, I accepted after some consideration, & no one came forward to run against me, so I was elected unanimously.
Some of my greatest struggles have come to me in my secular employment: 23 years in the corporate world of music publishing in which my main consolation was becoming aware that GOD had called me to live the Gospel in the workplace. When I eventually left the world of music publishing my hope was that I would find a position that would be some sort of full time Church ministry, such as teaching in a Catholic school. It was a long road of searching resulting in a long time of ongoing struggle (even while working) to accept that the LORD was calling back to enter a door that had been closed to me many years earlier, which was to work as a speech/language therapist primarily in a secular environment. The best part was when I was able to use my gifts of music & writing when I could teach library classes & go into classrooms to do music with the Preschool children & find some way to include a hidden & discreet Christian message.
For 3 years the LORD gave me a role that I had not expected, which was the role of part time caregiver to my Mom in her final years of life when she was suffering from stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. This turned out to be a two sided coin of sacrifice & privilege: sacrifice because I sometimes had to step back a little from some of my Church activities & I frequently had to stay overnight with my Mom & get awakened from sleep to care for her needs & a privilege because I could give back to a wonderful Mom who had done so much for me all my life & because I could be an instrument of GOD'S love to her & experience loving & serving CHRIST in her as she experienced the love of CHRIST working in & through me.
Right now I am facing some uncertainty about a medical/dental situation to determine whether a little white spot on my gum found during a routine dental exam that a biopsy revealed to be pre-cancerous can be remedied with a simple surgical procedure or if there is any full blown cancer. Besides praying that the diagnosis will be favorable & that it won't affect my ability to speak, sing or eat, I pray that I will be given the grace to cooperate with GOD in growing spiritually & in being a good witness for Him & in ministering to others.
In our lives we have many challenges & opportunities to say YES to GOD, both in very small & ordinary ways & in more significant ways. As St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta taught us, we can start with the person in front of us, whether this is a member of our family or a homeless person on the street. May the LORD give us open eyes, open ears, open hearts & the necessary wisdom, courage, energy & strength to cooperate with His grace & respond accordingly.