The fourth candle of the Advent wreathe has been lit, and the Advent season is about to reach its crescendo – Christmas Eve and the beginning of the Christmas season that ends on Sunday, January 12th, the Baptism of the Lord.
We might be doing our last-minute preparations in haste, much like the Blessed Virgin Mary was in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John the Baptist.
Do you think that there was excitement and stress in Mary’s life? Mary is about fifteen years old when the Archangel Gabriel greeted her by saying, “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you.” Lk. 1:28 (It also can be translated, “Hail, favored one”).We then read that Mary was “greatly troubled” by this greeting.
Mary is indeed full of grace, that is, she always had God’s divine life filling her soul. The Greek word to de-scribe this unique relationship with God is “kecharitomene” (kay-caree-toe-may-nay), which means that she was and always will be full of grace; and when your soul is full of grace, there is no room for sin. This is why we believe that Mary was immaculately conceived.
God created Mary free from Original Sin and kept her free from all personal sin. Even though Mary was filled with grace, she still had normal emotions like feeling trou-bled. Thus, we learn that we can be in the state of grace and still have negative emotions in our life. Mary teaches us to give our emotions, positive or negative, to God by trusting in God’s saving design.
Because of her unique call, perfect love and strength, we celebrate annually the Immaculate Conception of Mary on December 8th (or the 9th if December 8th is a Sunday of Advent). This day was made a Solemnity here in our coun-try because the Catholic Bishops made her the Patroness of the United States under the title of the Immaculate Con-ception in the year 1846.
The angel consoled Mary’s troubled soul by saying, “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. Be-hold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Lk. 1:30 The name Jesus means, God will save his people from their sins.
Even good news can make a person feel stressed, but Mary did not run away from this responsibility, but listened to the angel tell more of the story, but not the whole story. Like any person, Mary had to take steps of faith to grow and live the whole story to the end, just as we must perse-vere in our Catholic faith, hope and love to the end to be saved.
The Blessed Virgin Mary did not know all the details of her life, but she trusted God sufficiently to ask, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Lk. 1:34 Even though she was betrothed to Joseph, she and Joseph agreed to live as celibates, forgoing any sexual activity.
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also con-ceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren.” Lk. 1:35 When Joseph realized this miraculous mystical relationship, he respected it completely.
Mary responds by offering herself and stress over to God, “Behold, I am the hand-maid of the Lord. May it be done to me accord-ing to your word.” Lk. 1:38 She then makes haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth.
We believe that the baby Jesus in the womb of Mary is truly God and truly a human being. And when Mary greets Elizabeth, the baby in the womb of Elizabeth leaps for joy. We believe that Jesus was already doing his divine work by sanctifying the baby in the womb of Elizabeth, the infant John the Baptist.
Then the Holy Spirit fills Elizabeth, who says “Most Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Lk. 1:42 This story is the basis for the “Hail, Mary” (Ave) which we pray 150 times when we pray the Rosary.
Elizabeth continues: “And how does it happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the in-fant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Lk. 1:43-45
This is good news, but even good news can bring some stress. We see Mary offer her stress by surrendering her will to God and his plan. We see Elizabeth offering her stress by giving praise to God that the Lord and his Mother, Mary, had come to visit her.
Whatever stress you have in your life, whether from positive or negative events, humbly ask God the Father questions, patiently wait for his answer, and always trust and praise him for the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Mother, Mary, being here for us.
Although we do not know all the details of our future life and what Christmas will bring, we trust that the Lord Jesus will help us celebrate his birth, as well as prepare for his second coming in glory. WE DO KNOW that we can meet Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Confession and Holy Eucharist. WE DO KNOW that we can thank God for the security of being saved when we have confessed the number and kind of our mortal sins (to the best of our ability, with-out holding back a mortal sin) to Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Confession, and receive him as a pure, divine gift in the Holy Eucharist in the state of grace that Holy Mother Church has prepared for us. This is God’s promise!
In this last short week of Advent, we listen to the Angel speak to Mary, and to us, “Do not be afraid.” The saving grace and truth of Jesus Christ is within his Catholic Church and his faithful people.
Peace in Christ through Mary,
Fr. Thomas McCabe
HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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