What if Her Answer was “No”?
theophilus December 20th, 2007
This week’s gospels present a great “what-if” in history. What if Mary had said “no” to the Incarnation?
I’ve been thinking about this question as we progress through the weekday Gospel readings leading up to Christmas. The readings are those most of us know so well.
Monday – St. Matthew’s geneology of Christ; Tuesday – Gabriel appears to St. Joseph to announce the Incarnation; Wednesday – Zechariah learns Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist; Today – the Annunciation; Friday – the Visitation; Saturday – the Magnificat; Monday – the Benedictus.
Through these readings, we walk through the story told through the Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours. It’s a great time to refresh and renew our prayer.
It’s also a great time to consider the big what-if of our lives – WHAT IF MARY HAD SAID “NO” to Gabriel and to God? After all, she was being asked to undertake an incredible and daunting responsibility. She was being asked to bear and be the mother to the Son of God and to be the mother of all men and women. She was being asked to be the human source of salvation for all mankind.
And, she could have said “no” - ”not going to do it” - ”you’re asking too much” – “go get someone else”. She had the same free will that each one of us has. She could have chosen not to obey.
And where would we be if she had said “no”? I don’t even want to think of the possibilities and consequences.
We, of course, know that she said “yes” – “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” She said “yes” because she was the perfect human, the perfect servant. She obeyed God totally – gave herself over to God in mind, body and spirit. There was never any danger that her answer was going to be anything less than a booming affirmation.
But, are we the same? Christ asks us every day to follow him – to do our Father’s will. We are asked to believe and obey. How many of us go about our daily lives with the mindset that we are going to say “yes” to God in all things? How many of us go along with some things asked of us but not others?
And, how many of us have said “no” or shown indifference to a really big thing that God wanted us to do? One of my greatest fears is that God wanted me to do something incredible and I missed the boat – and he went and got someone else to do it. That, I missed out on the reason I was created.
Mary was created to be the mother of our Lord and Savior, the mother of mankind, the source of our salvation. She was asked to do something big – she didn’t miss the boat. She said “yes”.
We need to make sure we don’t miss our reason for being here or that special something God wants us to do - we need to say “yes” to everything God asks of us – and follow Christ wherever he leads us.
Let us resolve to imitate our Mother in proclaiming without reservation – “Behold, we are the handservants of the Lord. May it be done to us according to your Word.”
- Angels , Faith , God's Call , Jesus , Liturgy , Mary , Role Models
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