The Power of "Yes"

 

 

Luke 1: 26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Although we are just a few days from Christmas, the Church fittingly asks us to contemplate this passage from Luke where the ball got rolling for this great moment in our history.  It brings to the fore the power of Mary's YES, and reminds us that we can experience that power in our own YES.  Sometimes God asks more of us than we think we can deliver, and we might be tempted to say, "No, enough", yet had Mary said that, our world would sadly be still in the dark. As we approach Christmas, may we take inspiration from Mary's YES and trustingly say YES  too.

Bro.Rene

Eternal God, Author of Life, through the “Yes” of our Blessed Mother, the yoke of sin and death was broken and the gates of salvation were opened to the human race. We pray in thanksgiving for Mary’s trust in, and obedience to, your holy will. As we approach the blessed season of Christmas, may we echo her words “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” We ask this in the name of Christ the Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

 Br. James Walters, C.S.C.