“Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’” – Luke 1:38
On this last Sunday of Advent, just a few days before Christmas, the Church pauses to reflect upon that mysterious moment nine months prior to Jesus’ birth. Imagine the scene: Mary is a poor teenage girl, a young virgin espoused to a man named Joseph. To her surprise, the Angel Gabriel appears with an incredible proposal: Will you be the mother of the Son of God?
At that moment, the salvation of the whole world hung in the balance. She could have said “no,” and there would have been no Christmas, no Christ, no Cross, and no Resurrection. Instead, she accepted God’s will by saying “Let it be done to me according to your word.” With that, the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and the Word became flesh in her womb, putting into motion the work of our redemption.
Here we see the beautiful harmony of the Biblical narrative: Mary’s yes acts as the antidote to Eve’s no in the Garden of Eden. As Saint Irenaeus puts it, “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. The knot which the virgin Eve tied by her unbelief, the Virgin Mary opened by her belief.”
Thus, Mary played a special role in our salvation. Through her perfect union with the will of the Holy Spirit, she mystically became His spouse, and as a result, the Theotokos, or the God-bearer. She brought the God-Man into the world, providing Jesus with his human nature. Therefore, because of her unique role as Mother of God and her intimate union with the Holy Spirit she is an especially powerful intercessor. She remains our ideal model of perfect love of God, obedience, and conformity to the will of God.
Mary’s example should lead us to examine our own faithfulness to the will of God in our lives. Is there something or someone God is asking you to accept, but you refuse? Perhaps they are the relatives you just can’t stand but are expected to visit with over the holidays. What if you welcomed them into your life like Mary did to Jesus? How might God’s grace transform those relationships?
Perhaps God is asking you to welcome a new child into your life, whether he or she would be your own child or a CARITAS child you would sponsor. What if you followed Mary’s example of sacrifice and courageously said yes to care for that child?
Perhaps God is asking you to welcome Him into your life more fully this Christmas. What if you sought a deeper union with Him, like Mary’s, by going back to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
As you look forward to the joyful feast of Christmas, keep in mind this lesson Mary taught us: often the best thing we can give someone, the greatest act of love, is simply to receive them, to welcome them as the gift of God that they truly are.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
