We know Mary as the Blessed Mother, Holy Virgin, and Mother of God. As Mother of all humanity and the Church, she is the best example of divine Faith that we as Catholics could ask for.
When Mary was a young girl, said to be around thirteen or fourteen, she said yes to the most important question she had ever been and would ever be asked. She agreed to be the Mother of God.
In the first century AD in Israel, having a child outside of wedlock was grounds for stoning. In the absence of the death penalty, the social consequences were dire, with the woman and her family being ostracized from the village and the synagogue. Mary would have been well aware of the consequences of her “fiat”.
Yet, Mary chose to say yes to God. She answered his call and became the Mother of our Savior. She took the road less traveled, the one she knew would be harder, because she decided to put her faith into the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The example she sets for us cannot be understated. Perhaps we can take comfort in her example in our current age’s ridicule and outright hostility for people of faith. Indeed, it is hard for a secular mind steeped in the fashionable ideas of our time to understand people who actually put their faith in God and belong to the Church He established. We must make the same decision as Mary to ignore hostility, persecution and derision and give our assent to the Lord.
Saying yes to the Lord, no matter what, shows how devoted Mary was, as a woman of faith and soon to be mother. No matter whether we are in difficult and challenging times or in times of peace and comfort, we must remember to always let the Lord lead the way. Make sure to submit your decisions to Him before and not after making choices.
He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Let Mary’s choice to trust in Him influence your lives, both in this Advent season and throughout the years to come.
