"May it be done to me according to your word." - Luke 1:38
A number of times in my life I have been asked to do something that I could not imagine doing. How could this be? That's not what I thought my life would be like! I had other plans. But when I said, "Yes," better things than I could imagine came about.
Mary is an example for us of how to live courageously in obedience to the will of God. She listened to the angel and despite the questions deep within her, she said, "Yes." Because of that "yes" she could soon proclaim to Elizabeth, "My soul magnifies the Lord!" Obedience might have been a problem for our first parents, as we see in the First Reading, but Mary was disposed to listen. She could not settle for anything less than fully conforming to what God asked of her. "How can this be?" she asked. Assured that it was up to God's Spirit to bring about in her what God desired she could say, "Yes, I am God's servant. Let it be done to me according to His word." And we know that Word became flesh.
As we are called to proclaim the Gospel with courage, to invite others to join us, and to encounter the other with openness and love, we have no better guide than Mary, the one who listened and obediently said, "Yes."
Is there anything that I know God is asking me to do? What is my answer?
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Reflection by:
Sr. Cathy Cahill
Did you know...
Sister Cathy Cahill, OSF, is a Franciscan Sister of Allegany who has been ministering in the diocese since 1989, primarily in retreat work and spiritual direction, She is a member of the community at St. Clare Convent in Tampa.
