I have been blessed with many trips and pilgrimages to holy places over the years. I’ve led groups to places including the Holy Land, Rome and the Marian shrines at Lourdes and Fatima. One of my earliest trips – and one that moved me deeply – was to Guadalupe in Mexico.
It’s been about 35 years since a group of us traveled to the Shrine of Guadalupe to experience the wonder of St. Juan Diego, whom Mary appeared to personally in 1531. You can still see his tilma, or cloak, which was imprinted with a miraculous image of Mary. Replicas or paintings of it are seen in many churches with a special devotion to the Blessed Mother.
I am thinking about this trip and our Blessed Mother because in early December we celebrate three related feasts. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is the patronal feast of our country, is Dec. 8. We then celebrate Juan Diego’s feast day on Dec. 9, which was the day Mary first appeared to him, and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe follows three days later, on Dec. 12.
All of these speak of devotion to and love for the Blessed Mother, who is highlighted in a special way during Advent. For all of us at Catholic Charities, Mary is the image of what we try to do each and every day. We are very committed to “yes” – trying to say “yes” every time we can and “no” only when we have to. We have t-shirts and sweatshirts that bear that motto, and I’m proud of how well our staff lives it.
For me, the importance of saying “yes” comes from Mary. Given a chance to respond to the angel Gabriel, she said in wonderment, “May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) This is known as Mary’s fiat, which is the original Latin word for “let it be done to me.”
We celebrate this “yes” all throughout Advent. We know the story well, but it’s worth reflecting upon how difficult that must have been. A young peasant woman is approached by an angel, awestruck by the magnificence of seeing this celestial being, and then asked to do something beyond comprehension. Would she be the very mother of God? Would she bring Emmanuel into our midst and start the process of our salvation?
A simple “yes” in a small room between Mary and Gabriel turned into a huge “yes” that led to the world’s salvation. Mary’s “yes” sets the tone for all we are and hope to be as followers of Jesus.
It doesn’t end there. Right after Mary finds out that she is going to have a baby in the most startling way, she leaves the comfort of her own home and sets out “in haste” to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is also incomprehensibly pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary traveled some 80 miles from Nazareth to Ein Karem where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived. As we know, John leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb when the two mothers-to-be met for the first time, sensing the presence of Jesus in Mary.
If we reflect during Advent on how we can live in ways that honor our faith, the simple word “yes” is the answer for me. Our “yes” could be a more profound response to people in need, a more ready commitment to help those who come our way, or perhaps a more responsive inclusion of those who have needs that may seem beyond our capabilities. These are ways in which God works through us and brings about great things for others.
This Advent, I would like to recommend that we all take some time to think about our own responses to people. It can be so much easier to live in the mode of “no.” I can’t do that. It’s too much work. It doesn’t fit my schedule. It’s beyond my abilities. I have other things to worry about. We can always think of many reasons – often valid ones – to say no, but if that is our go-to attitude, I believe we miss opportunities to serve the Lord and others.
On the other hand, what if our go-to attitude is yes? Maybe I could do this. I wonder if God is asking me to take this on. Is this a chance for me to make a real difference for someone in need? Might my “yes” open a door for someone in need of help? Could this be Jesus in disguise reaching out to me for assistance?
We would be a different people and if we all leaned into that “yes” with fervor, excitement and even joy in helping someone else. I have tried to do this all throughout my priesthood, and I admit that it can seem overbearing at times. Maybe there are times I should have said no, but when I say “yes,” the doors of God’s grace and love open up to others and to me in ways that are unfathomable. The blessings far outweigh any additional burdens.
Mary said “yes” and look what happened. She brought God into the world. When we say yes, we also bring God into the world in different yet still amazing ways.
(Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, writes the “Faith in Action” column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard newspaper and website and for the archdiocese’s Spanish-language El Pregonero newspaper and website.)
