Obedience, Part Two

26 Mar

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”  (Lk 26:38)

Yesterday we reflected upon obedience.

As we did so, we reflected upon the obedience of Jesus and reminded ourselves that He was the perfect example of obedience, of embracing the will of the Father.

For many people, that is the problem.  It is Jesus of whom we speak.

They say, “Yeah, that’s fine.  But Jesus is, after all, the Son of God.  Of course He is going to be perfect.  Of course He will obey.”  Of course, of course, of course.

In doing so, we often make excuses for why we cannot do the will of God.  We tend to forget that Jesus was not only truly divine, He was also truly human.  He knows our human nature because He owns it for Himself.  He knows our struggles because they were also His struggles.

Well, if looking at the example of someone who is divine gets in our way, today we get to look at the example of someone who was truly – and totally – human: Mary.

Today, we celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord.

Mary was visited by the Archangel Gabriel.  He brought great and astonishing news.  The salvation for which loyal Israelites prayed on a daily basis was to come about in the person of Jesus.  Mary was being invited to become the mother of the Son of God.

This was great and astonishing news indeed.  It was also a frightening and confusing moment for this young teen called Mary.

The angel told her not to be frightened and assured her that she was needed by God in order to bring His Son into the world.

In an act of great humility and obedience, Mary said yes.  For, after all, she was the maidservant of the Lord.  And if her Lord was asking her to do something, by golly, she would do it.

Two days in a row we have been given great examples of obedience.

Are we ready to obey?

FAITH ACTION:  Take some time today (ten minutes, fifteen minutes, whatever you can give the Lord) to reflect upon Mary’s “yes” to God.  Try to discern what God has been calling you to accomplish.  Summoning up all the humility and courage that you can muster, tell the Lord: “I am your servant.  Let it be done according to you will.”  And don’t just say it, mean it.