December 20: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Micah 5:2-5a
Canticle 3 or 15
or Psalm 80:1-7
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)
Not long ago I had a conversation with my 22 year-old niece about the process she uses for making choices in her life. My niece is a vibrant young woman who is interested in sustainable agriculture in developing countries, and who practices yoga and Buddhism. As our conversation turned to some of the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Christianity (a topic that fascinates me), we spoke about the importance of detachment in Buddhism and its similar counterpart in Christianity: learning to let go of one’s selfish desires. My niece enthusiastically agreed with this practice by saying, “When I make my life about myself and my plans about what I think I want, I end up unhappy. When I step outside of myself and give myself to others, it gives me happiness and joy, and the satisfied fulfillment I thought I would get from acting in a more selfish way.”
This wonderful ability my niece has to make loving choices for others reminds me of Mary’s ability to say yes to God as described in the beautiful poem/prayer the Magnificat. So many of us find it so difficult to make selfless choices based on love. Fear has hardened our hearts and made it impossible for us step outside of the confines of our narrow, conflicted selves. But Mary in her timeless testimony the Magnificat witnesses not only to God’s greatness, but also exemplifies her ability to trust enough in God to say yes to God’s request that she be the mother of Jesus.
Most of us are not called upon, as Mary was, to make the kinds of decisions that change the course of human history. Yet we should not underestimate how important our ability to say yes to God might be. Our relationships with others continually stretch us beyond what we imagined to be our capabilities; over and over again we are called to say yes to others and thus yes to God. Yes I will support your decision even though I might not agree with you, yes I will forgive you even though you have hurt me, yes I will help you even though I am tired and have other things to do. Our ability to support, to forgive, to help others is transformative both for ourselves and for those others we are called to love. When we choose to say yes to love others that God places before us on a daily basis, we, like Mary, help to bring forth new life in our world.