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Mary’s Fiat
Luke 1:26-38 Introductory Prayer:Lord, as I contemplate the example of Mary’s simplicity and generosity, my heart burns within me. If only I could be as docile as she was. I trust in your help and mercy in my desires to improve. As I begin this prayer, I humbly place myself in your presence. I come, Lord, to do your will. Petition:Grant me, Lord, a love for the example of Our Lady. 1. Personal Call. We notice the very human details of the Annunciation. It happened in a specific place, to a specific person. So it is with God’s plan. He doesn’t call us en masse. He calls each one of us personally because he loves each of us as a son or daughter. The Catholic faith is a personal relationship with Our Lord. Do I ever feel the opposite? Do I ever feel like just a number? That’s not how God intends my faith to be. My vocation is personal. Do I respond likewise in a personal way to God? 2. Beyond All Hopes. God’s people had long awaited a Messiah. Mary would have also looked forward to a Savior. Yet it likely would not have occurred to her that she would ever be the mother of the Redeemer. We too might wonder: When will God send someone to save the world in our time ? In fact, he tries to do that ? through each one of us. Each of us can be a saint, can help save the world, with God’s grace. Likewise, we are each called to a great and unique vocation, whether ordained, consecrated, or lay. To what great mission is God calling me? Do I realize that my life can be great, if lived with sufficient love? 3. Let It Be. Mary’s fiat ? "Let it be done to me" ? was the response that brought joy to the angels in heaven. A 14- or 15-year-old, by her openness to God’s plan, would help to change the course of history. We too are called to say “yes” to God and to build little civilizations of love. Every generation can contribute to building the kingdom. Do I see the young people in my life as potential apostles? Do I respect them as persons called to great things? Do I see my friends in the same way? Conversation with Christ: Lord, your great plan for sending your Son in the world hinged on Mary’s "yes." Let me learn from her openness, and let me say “yes” to what you ask. Resolution: I will pray for a young person to have the strength to follow a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life. |
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| Nothing Is Impossible with God | ||
Isaiah 7:10-14 / Luke 1:26-38
Three men were pacing nervously outside the delivery room at a hospital when the head nurse cam out beaming. To the first she said, "Congratulations, sir, you are the father of twins."
"Terrific!" said the man, "I just signed a contract with the Minnesota Twins and this'll be great press."
To the second man the nurse said, "Congratulations to you too. You are the father of healthy triplets!"
"Fantastic!" he said. "I'm the vice-president of 3-M Company. This'll be great P.R.!"
At that point the third man turned ashen and ran for the door. "What's wrong, sir? Where are you going?" called the nurse.
As he jumped into his car, the man shouted, "I'm dashing to my office to resign. I'm the president of 7-UP!"
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Run for the hills! This can't be!
That's exactly what Mary was feeling as she listened to the angel spell out what God wanted of her: "Virgin birth?! Are you crazy? Who's going to believe that? I'll be stoned to death as soon as the neighbors see I'm pregnant! Dear God, what are you asking of me?"
We know the feeling: "Dear God, what are you asking of me? How can I make a life out of this pile of junk you've given me? How am I going to survive till the end of the year — till the end of the week? How am I ever going to make a silk purse, when I don't even have a sow's ear? It's impossible, absolutely impossible!"
We've felt that and said that often enough. But it isn't true, as Mary showed us: Her whole being was so profoundly open to the Spirit that God filled her entirely with His own life and Jesus our Savior was conceived in her womb — the impossible happened.
So it can be with us who are daunted by life's "impossibilities." The key, as Mary learned, is not trying to do it all by ourselves: Working alone is a recipe for failure. The key to doing the impossible is learning how to let God in and let God lead; learning how to listen to Him and to see the world through his eyes; learning with His help to re-imagine our lives and to sing the words of a new song; learning from Him how to grow our minds and our hearts very large.
With God as our mentor and guide, our wisdom, our courage and our strength, with God as our partner, nothing is impossible. What a tragedy it would be to languish forever in a world of small hearts and tiny visions, a world of impossibilities. The choice is ours! And God is listening for our "Yes," just as He listened for Mary's. He is ready a waiting to fill us very, very full!