Advent according to Mary
Advent according to Mary
As we celebrate the last Sunday before Christmas, let us focus on Mary, especially on her difficult decision to become the mother of God’s son. The serene and peaceful face of Mary as depicted in the nativity scene or other Marian portraits may sometimes hide Mary’s struggling efforts to reconcile God’s invitation to become the Mother of God. La Pieta by Michelangelo somehow captures Mary in her most trying moment as a mother as she holds in her loving arms the dead body of her son after being taken down from the cross. It is a portrait of difficulty and challenge, as she tries to find the meaning of suffering and death of her Son in her own life. It is a portrait of personal anxiety and confusion as she tries to comprehend the eternal implications of her Son’s excruciating execution.
In our gospel reading today, she sounded perplexed, pondering what sort of great visitation this might be. Her response to the angel betrayed her confusion: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Her parting words to the angel: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” were words of submission and obedience to God’s plan in her life. It was a difficult decision for her to make. But somehow, she made the difficult decision under so much stress and pressure. Becoming the first disciple of Christ, following him from the event of the conception to his crucifixion, has been a definitively difficult journey of faith, hope and love.
Conceived without sin, Mary was born with free will like the rest of us. Our Blessed Mother could have responded “no” to God’s plans for her to give birth to His son. It was a difficult decision, especially considering that her dream in life would be to remain a virgin all her life. Mary chose to honor God with her life, sacrificing her own personal dream of life-time virginity to allow God’s plan of salvation to realization in her self-giving.
In Mary, we see what wonderful things God can do with us, in us and through us when we are open, listening to God’s word and trusting in His goodness. During this closing period of Advent, we reflect more intensely on God’s invitation to welcome Christ into our hearts in the spirit of Mary’s love and generosity. In the midst of our current difficulties and challenges, we have to deal with the real challenge of Christmas: to welcome Christ into our hearts despite the odds.