December
20, 2012 Daniel
Daring Daniel's
previous reflections
Faith is spelled as courage –
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Micah
5:1-4; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45
Cathy got pregnant. She was not a virgin; she was a widow with three children. How did it happen? A man came to her house one night. Cathy lived on the outskirts of a village. It would not do to shout for help. Beside, it happened so suddenly that before she even realized she was overpowered by his strength. ‘What will the people say?’ – Cathy was thinking. Guilt, shame, and other negative feelings reigned in her heart. Finally, she made up her mind, got ready and together with her three children hurried to her distant relatives living in the capitol city of her country.
Pregnancy
is a time of joy for the soon to be parents in the normal family. However, it is
a time of intense anxiety and stress when it happens unexpectedly and when a
woman is left alone in such situation. Who will believe a woman that her
pregnancy is a miracle? Perhaps, if she is married and after being barren for
years suddenly she is found with a child, we would acknowledge God’s
intervention. But, who will believe a young woman telling that her pregnancy is
a miracle? So “Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of
Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth” (Luke
1:39).
Lesson
one – Never stay alone with your problem
When the night vision of the angel is gone and the sun is rising over your problem those difficult questions surface in your consciousness: “What shall I do? Whom should I tell this? Who is going to believe me?” And we seldom consider our loved ones as the first recipients of the news, because we are afraid of their reactions. We do not want to hurt them; we do not want them to worry; we do not want to be judged; and most of all, we do not want to be rejected by them. We search for someone who will understand and will help us to find the solution. For Mary it was Elizabeth, an old woman who also experienced God’s miracle and found herself with a child at her old age. Mary sensed that she was the one to be trusted.
No
matter how big is your problem, never stay alone with it. Do not search for the
solution at first, but search for someone with whom you can share the news of
what is happening with you. It has to be someone whom you trust and who can
understand you. It may be your friend, your priest, or your community. It does
not matter as long as s/he or they can help. And it is also advisable that you
pull out for sometime from your environment, so the pressure of what the people
will say will not affect your future decision.
Lesson
two – Bless and welcome
“Blessed are you” and “blessed is your child” were the words of Elizabeth to Mary. No question asked. Mary could expect full investigation of the usual, ‘tell my how it happened.’ Instead, there is a blessing pronounced over her and her child. Not only that. She is also welcomed as a special guest. Her visit is seen as a favor. Elizabeth reveals a character of a perfect counselor and friend. With her prophetic insight or, perhaps, with her sensitivity of a woman, she knew what Mary needed most: encouragement.
It
is so easy to pronounce judgment; it is extremely difficult to find a word of
encouragement. People want to hear that there is still a future in store for
them. Their lives seem to be collapsing; they feel lonely and abandoned; they
castigate themselves with guilt feelings; they harshly judge themselves for
their mistakes and wrong decisions. They need somebody who will reveal to them
that there is a blessing inside their situation; they need somebody who will
make them feel welcomed.
Lesson
three – Face the consequences of your choice
Mary was visited by the angel. At the end of that visit, she agreed to God’s plan for her life. It was her decision, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said’ (Luke 1:38). However, it did not dispel all worries and thoughts of the future. It often happens that after agreeing to God’s will, we are overtaken by sudden fear, and we call ourselves stupid, regretting the decision: ‘why did I agree to that? I should have said ‘no!’ from the beginning. What shall I do now?’ Yet, with Elizabeth’s encouragement and the confirmation of God’s plan, Mary regained her composure and was prepared to face the consequences of her decision. After all, God is in this situation; after all, she is going to become the mother of the Lord.
Even,
if you are in big troubles, not because of God’s will but due to your own
mistake, the only way out of the crisis is to face the consequences of your
choices and decisions. Do not hide or try to escape. It will not work. It will
only hunt you in the future. Face it. After delivering her baby girl, Cathy went
back to her village. She visited her parish priest and asked for forgiveness.
Then, she went on with her life not minding people’s talk behind her back.
After all, it was her life; after all, she had four children to take care of.
She had to be strong for them.
Conclusion
The
Catholic Church has elevated Mary to such a high position that it has caught the
attention of our Protestant brothers and sisters. They remind us through
billboards and posters that, ‘ONLY Jesus
saves.’ We do not have doubts about it. Mary does not take the position of her
Son, ‘the Son of the Most High’ (Luke 1:32), as the Savior of the world.
However, being true to the message of the Gospel, we marvel at the courage of
this young woman from Nazareth. At the end of her visit to Elizabeth, Mary
realized the truth of her calling: It was not about her; it was about the child
she would bear. It was for him that she had to be strong and leave the legacy of
her faith to every woman and man who is faced with extremely difficult choices
in life. Mary helps us to realize that a genuine faith should be spelled as
COURAGE. It takes courage to believe that no matter who you are, no matter what
the circumstances of your life are God works mightily to accomplish His plan in
your life. Blessed are you if you believe in this truth.