Last week it was the turn of St. Joseph; this week, following the feast of the Annunciation, 25th March, it is Mary who ‘grabs the limelight’ – Mary, the mother of God, the mother of Jesus, and the wife of Joseph. When these two feast days were given dates, the Annunciation was fixed in line with Christmas Day, it being exactly nine months, to the day, before the great feast of the Nativity, and the feast of St. Joseph, fixed later, was deliberately put six days in advance of the Annunciation.
These parents, Mary and Joseph, were the first, and best, of teachers in the ways of faith for their child, which is how our Baptismal ceremony speaks of the parents of all baptised children, in the blessing of the Father, right at the end. It is significant, and of vital importance, to recognise that parents of baptised children are given the responsibility of looking after ‘little people’, who are now filled with the same life of God, as Jesus was – and is; according to St. Paul we are all – little ones included – co-heirs with Christ.
It was at the Annunciation, that we have recorded, the famous reply of Mary, to the angel Gabriel: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word”. (Lk 1: 38) Mary was not only compliant with what God wanted of her, but was also highly intelligent; according to the motto of this blog, ‘There is nothing more intelligent than to be in the will of God’.
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Philippe de Champaigne: The Annunciation, c.1644
We know she was intelligent, for God gave her a role that led, ultimately, to her becoming Queen of Heaven, and while she lived, she achieved what God wanted of her. The important reflection of all this, is that each of us has role to fulfil, and the intelligent thing to do, is to conform ourselves to the personal design that God – from all eternity – has for each individual. From Mary we inherit the ‘Magnificat’, and I would guess that nobody in this wide, wide world, in their right mind, would deny themselves the God-given grace, to be filled with the overflowing joy of Mary.
My soul glorifies the Lord
My spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour…
The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name.
Everyone can achieve the measure we have within us, if we remain in God and his will.
I love the story of the Prodigal Son – because its lesson is universal – and because everyone can identify with it. When the ‘lad’ was in the middle of the ‘mess’ he had made of his life, scripture ‘shuts the door’ on the past, and says: ‘He came to himself and said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called you son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’”’ I love the phrase, ‘He came to himself’. Certainly, it took some time, maybe some months, or even a year or two, and all this time, the Father was keeping watch, for his son returning. The mystery is that this was God’s plan for that young man. How wonderful the lesson! Now, bring the parable up to date, and calculate what a help he has been, for all who, down the centuries, try to live the Christian way.
For us, in our time, the process of ‘coming to one’s self’ can take 40, 50 or 60 years! It may take less, but often it is that long; oftentimes, it’s a case of two steps forward, and four back. But this is God’s will for us, and God is working out his purposes. It is a great pity that, in many cases, it does not happen sooner, because, it is only when it does happen, that we can join in the rejoicing of Mary, glorifying God, then with that ‘inner’ freedom that nobody can explain, coupled with a joy that remains an utter mystery as to its origin. That means it can only be divine!
The motto stands: ‘There is nothing more intelligent than to be in the will of God’.
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