Advent: Waiting with Mary

For Christians, Advent, meaning coming or arrival, is a special season to prepare for the birth of the Christ Child.  Like Mary, we are called to be pregnant with faith as we look forward with anticipation and great excitement to bringing to life the life of God within us.  
For us, the Annunciation is a familiar story.  For Mary, the Annunciation was a moment of great decision.  Although she was a young teenager, Mary, in silence and solitude, already had prepared her heart to be open to God’s will - the eyes of her soul were constantly focused on God.
Hence, the visit of an angel didn’t seem to disturb her, although she was deeply troubled by the angel’s message and wondered what his words meant  (Luke 1:29). After all, she was a maid and espoused, promised in marriage to Joseph.  The notion of a virgin birth was not only perplexing, but impossible! Mary had to decide between the rational and intuitive, i.e., between a knowledge based on trust, as opposed to a reasoned conclusion.  Mary chose the better part.  She trusted.  She rejected reason and fear and embraced faith with courage.
Mary trusted that God would keep His word.  In humility and obedience, she uttered her fiat: “I am the Lord’s servant, may it happen to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). In faith, Mary received the gift of God’s own Son in her willing womb.
Did she understand? No. Mary didn’t always understand fully what she had been chosen to do, yet she was always waiting and willing to submit, humbly and obediently, to God’s will.
Mary’s “Yes” is a lesson in faith for us.
We, too, are called to trust in God always – even when we don’t understand the hurts, losses, sufferings woven into the fabric of our daily lives.  In this season of expectancy, let us watch for and be aware of Annunciation moments in our lives – those times we can surrender and say “Yes!” to God, no matter how perplexing or impossible the circumstance seems.
We can prepare ourselves spiritually to give birth to Jesus in our hearts, even though we may be heavy-laden with burdens – financial, physical, emotional, and social.  Christ comes to us in our sorrows and bears our burdens.  He comes to us through others as we see God’s love reflected in them.  And, if we are looking, we can often find God in unexpected places, for God is a God of joyful surprises!
At the Nativity, Mary, in perfect adoration, contemplated Jesus and found joy in God.  Like Mary, we are called to adoration and worship, to come to the stable with Mary’s obedience and humility.  There, we can offer Jesus our unique gifts and talents.  We can think of creative ways to be of service to family, friends, and community during this Holy Season.
As Pope Francis stated in his Oct. 2014 reflection: “Believing in Jesus means giving him our flesh with the humility and courage of Mary…. so that Jesus can act in the world through us.”
During Advent, let us wait with Mary and exclaim, Maranatha!  Come, Lord Jesus, come!  Let us be pregnant with faith as we prepare to bring to life anew, the life of God within us.

Advent begins on Sunday Dec. 1. Begin your Advent journey by blessing your Advent wreath. Light the first violet candle and sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” For reflections and suggestions on what to do each day of Advent check out the USCCB Advent calendar at https://www.usccb.org/resources/2024-advent-calendar.