One of my first jobs I've been given is to be a part of Formation Sunday. Here children of different ages are taught about the Catholic faith. Today is for the high school students. I have been given the task of reading Luke 1:26-38, the Annunciation, and giving a reflection on obedience. Here is what I thought I'd say:
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My reflection on Luke 1:26-38... Obedience
Mary is not present in much of the Gospels, but whenever we see her she is teaching us something profound. In this passage, Mary is teaching us about obedience.
Being obedient is not always easy, not always what we want to do. The 10 commandments say we must honor our mother and father, we must obey and respect our parents, teachers, caretakers, etc. But that is not always easy to do. Often we have our own thoughts and plans of what we should do or where we should go. Even though we might not recognize it at the time, our parents, guardians, those who care for us know more than us what is best.
If that is true, how much more is it for God? God, our Father, knows everything! He knew us before we were born. He knew at the beginning of time who we would be and what would be best for us, best for the world He created. To Him, above all, we must also be obedient.
Imagine Mary... a young girl, about your age. She was a good girl who listened to her parents, for the Church teaches us that she was born without sin. Now, imagine Mary a few nights before she was to marry Joseph. She was probably nervous about the new life ahead of her... leaving her parents, having new responsibilities as a wife to Joseph. Then, an angel appears before her. Can you even imagine it? The bible says Mary was afraid... I would be too! But then the angel calms her fears and asks Mary to be the mother of Jesus.
This is not an easy thing to ask of Mary. 1) to become pregnant, 2) to explain to her family and Joseph what is going on, and 3) to be responsible for raising Jesus, the King of Kings, the Savior of the world. I would be understanding of Mary if she said no. This is a huge thing God is asking of her. But Mary loves God and trusts that anything He asks of her is best for her and the world He created. So Mary says yes to God- as we pray in the Angelus, she said, "May it be done to me according to your word."
Being obedient is not easy. It may not be fun, either. But God, in His wisdom, gives us time to practice being obedient to our caretakers so that when He is ready to ask us to be a part of His will, we will be obedient, we will say may it be done to me according to your word.
So, be obedient now. Practice obeying those who love you and want the best for you. So when the time comes for God to invite you into His plan, you will follow Mary's example, her fiat, and say yes to God.
And, if you ever find yourself having trouble being obedient, ask Mary to pray for you. She knows what it is like to be obedient to God and to her elders, she knows it is difficult to obey and can ask God to give you graces to help. Mary, as your mother in Heaven, wants the best for you too and wants God's glory shining in all of our lives. She can help!!
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You know, I have learned a lot from my brother Father Mark, but one of the best things I ever learned from him is a homily on Mary that he gave at the Carmelite Convent one day during a novena of masses. He was speaking of St. Louis DeMontfort, and I am not sure if St. Louis came up with this argument for Mary or if one of his teachers, who is also a saint, did and St. Louis was sharing it. Anyways, many people outside of the Catholic church, and probably some within it, do not understand our devotion to Mary. I believe they think that we are worshiping her as we would God. However, that is not true. St. Louis DeMontfort gave this argument in response to this: (by the way... this is a complete paraphrase!! Want the real deal?? Read "True Devotion to Mary"!!!)
1) God is perfect.
2) If God is perfect, then everything He does is perfect.
3) God could have chosen anyway to come to earth as the Second Person of God, Jesus Christ, but because He is perfect and what He does is perfect, then His incarnation, the way He came among us, is perfect.
4) God chose Mary to be the vessel between heaven and earth, she is His pathway to us, the perfect connection from heaven to earth.
There are many ways we can call upon the Lord. Many people say they would rather go directly to Him then to go through someone else. But here's the kicker...
If God, in His perfection, chose Mary to come to us, doesn't seem that the most perfect and direct way, the easiest way, to God would be through the channel He created?
I'm not at all sure that St. Louis used the word "kicker"... but anyways, here is my point...
At the foot of the cross, Jesus gave all of us a gift. After being abandoned, beaten, stripped, made fun of, spat upon, nailed to a cross He gave us a gift. Can you imagine??
He gave us Mary as our mother.
One of His last missions on earth was to make sure, even after all we put Him through, that we had a way to reach Him. Wouldn't it be a shame to waste that gift?
Wish me luck on my first assignment! Hope I don't get fired!! xxoo
