“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” ~ Luke 1:31
Unbeknown to me, the convert, the newbie, this wasn’t just a coincidence. The Church in it’s wisdom celebrates this feast exactly nine months before Christmas, the birth of Jesus. It was a sort of epiphany for me and my faith was reinforced yet again by the beauty of the Catholic Church.
The readings for this day spoke to me profoundly of things that I thought I already understood. Mary is special, but I never realized how special she was. In a sense she held the fate of the world in her hands, for if she had chosen to say no to God, Jesus might not ever have come to us.
Mary, the New Eve
We are all familiar with the story of Adam and Eve presented in Genesis. They are the first humans created by God and He gives them dominion over all creation. His only commandment is that they stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. So, of course, they do exactly what He told them not to. Eve is convinced by the serpent, or Satan, to disobey the commandment of the Lord, therefore bringing sin into the world. The crime is disobedience.
Fast forward thousands of years and we are introduced to Mary of Nazareth. A faithful servant of the Lord, Mary is obedient to her God and when presented with a choice to either go with God or without Him, she says yes to the Lord, in turn bringing salvation into the world in the form of Jesus Christ.
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” ~ Luke 1:38
So Eve sinned, Mary didn’t. Eve brought sin into the world, Mary brought salvation into the world. It is for this reason that Mary is considered the New Eve. She is a model of true obedience and faithfulness to God. How many times are we presented with a fork in the road, one leads to God and the other leads away from God. We know that the road leading away from God can often times seem more appealing and the easier route to take. And although the path of God is difficult, it leads to greatest of all rewards. Mary chose the path of God knowing how treacherous it would be and how much difficulty she would face as a result of her decision, but she made her choice in faith. Just as St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” This is why Catholics hold Mary in such high esteem, because she took that leap of faith. Mary gives us hope and her example is one that we should all follow.
The First Communion
Not only do we follow Mary’s example of obedience and trust in God, but we follow her example of saying yes to the Lord, of inviting the Lord into us in body, blood, soul, and divinity. The Eucharist is the “source and summit of our faith” as Catholics. The Eucharist is the way in which we commune with our God. To paraphrase Dinesh D’Souza from his book “What’s So Great About Christianity”: what makes Christianity different from other religions, specifically Islam and Judaism, is that instead of us trying to reach God, our God has come down to our level. Not only did the God of the Universe humble himself enough to be born of a woman, to come into the world as we do, but instead of coming in a miraculous display of glory, Jesus is humble enough to come to us in a piece of unleavened bread!
So just as we receive the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, inviting the Lord of Heaven into us, Mary was the first to celebrate this glorious mystery as she invited Jesus Christ into her. She was the first to partake in this mystery, in this Sacrament. She was the first to bask in the glory of our Lord. What a blessing!
We know that Jesus is a gentlemen, for he stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. It is only when we open our hearts, if we say yes to Jesus, that he will enter into us. When you are in the line for communion, invite Jesus into you. Say it out loud or in your heart. Either way, I guarantee you that your experience with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist will be much more profound!
Giving Thanks Where Thanks Are Due
Imagine if when Mary was presented with this opportunity, she chose instead to walk away. What if she declined this offer, because she didn’t want to take on such a responsibility? What if Mary said no? Obviously it would’ve been possible for God to bring salvation to His people in another way, but imagine how many years passed between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.
That means we might have had to wait thousands of years for another opportunity to arise! I am eternally grateful to Mary for the decision she made to be faithful to the Lord. Of course she was faced with adversity and I’m sure Satan tempted her many times just as Eve was tempted by the serpent. And that’s the best part about it, she didn’t give in! The great faith of Mary is something I look up to and admire and I call upon her intercession often through the Rosary. After all, we all know when our mother asks us to do something we do it right away, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our prayers and petitions are placed at the feet of Jesus by his humble mother. How can He say no to her!?
When meditating on the first Joyful Mystery of the Rosary we bring to mind the humility of Mary as she listened to the angel Gabriel. Her response is “Let it be done unto me, according to your Word.” What an amazing example of selfless obedience. The Annunciation is one of my favorite mysteries to meditate on, because Mary has made one simple choice that has had an impact on the entire world to come. I like to think that when we too are faced with decisions, especially whether to do God’s will or not, do we keep in mind the effect that it has on ourselves, our families, and the world around us? If we are obedient and faithful to the Lord, others can see that example and they just might be led to Jesus Christ. When we do something that seems crazy to the non-believers, it is often an opportunity to teach.
Let It Be Done Unto Me
I would like to make a recommendation of a song titled “Let It Be Done Unto Me,” by an amazing woman named Danielle Rose. Her album entitled “Mysteries” goes through each of the mysteries of the rosary, but instead of approaching each mystery from a traditional standpoint, she sings each song with a different style, from a different point of view. For example, for “The Crowning of Thorns” she sings the song as the rose bush as it’s cut down, shaped into a crown, and placed on the head of Jesus. Her lyrics are incredible and each song is dripping with emotion. Her music has helped me to meditate on the mysteries, in fact it has brought them to life for me.