by Sr. Michelle Elizabeth Marie, O.Carm.
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. (Lk 1:26-27)
I have always been fascinated by Our Lady and the Annunciation. Specifically, what has most impressed me is the fact that God chose a seemingly ordinary girl to play such a monumental role in His plan for salvation. If He chose Mary to participate in His plan, then maybe He might choose me too. Not in the same way He asked the Virgin Mary to participate in His plan, but in my own way. There is a part for me – and for all of us – in the Lord’s plan that can only be played by me.
Mary did not have to agree to God’s plan. She could have said no. However, she had a lifetime of little fiats leading up to that moment. They were the “yeses” of everyday life. Doing a favor for a friend, going on an errand for a parent, etc. Somehow, those smaller fiats contributed to her being able to consent to the Lord’s plan for her. In the ordinariness of her day, she was faced with another opportunity to say “yes” to what was being asked of her, only this time it was totally unlike anything she had ever been asked before.
I wonder what that moment before giving her consent was like. What went through her head? Did she think about the cultural and societal ramifications she would face? Did she wonder what her parents would say? What Joseph would say? Was she scared? Or did every little fiat she had ever given really pave the way for this moment? If I were to guess, I would say that even if she was scared or concerned, the grace, strength, and trust in the Lord that she possessed overshadowed all of it.
In a few months’ time, God willing, I will make my First Vows. It would be a lie if I said that I have never thought about what lies beyond my “yes.” In reflecting on the Blessed Mother’s “yes” I know that while she may not have had all the answers about what lay ahead, she had faith in God and in His plan for her. She trusted that come what may, He would always be there to guide and protect her. What’s more is that in reflecting on today’s Solemnity of the Annunciation, I am assured of the same thing. Whatever the Lord has in store, I know He will be there with me every step of the way. In addition, because of the smaller “yeses” I have given throughout my life, and especially in my time of initial formation, I am confident that there will be grace to say “yes” to Him again in this much bigger way.
Every day we are all faced with a thousand little fiats of our own; a thousand chances to consent to the Lord’s plan for each of us individually. In all honesty, I miss out on most of mine. But what would happen if I – if any of us, really – were more aware of those opportunities? How might the Lord’s plan unfold for us? It is precisely in the ordinary moments of everyday life that we are called to consent to the Lord’s plan for us as individuals, and in turn affect the world around us.
May today’s Solemnity of the Annunciation serve as a reminder to each of us to continually say “yes” to what the Lord is asking of us. May we be challenged to notice, and act upon, all of the little ways in which the Lord is calling us to cooperate in His plan. No “yes” is too small or ineffective. We never know what God will call us to, but it is in the ordinariness of our everyday lives that we can respond to his call with grace, strength, and trust in Him just as Our Lady did.
No comments:
Post a Comment