Amen! Yes! Let it be so!

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

21 November 2017

"Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister and mother." While this may sound like an offensive statement, it is in fact the greatest compliment that Jesus could give to his mother. He is saying here that the blessed Virgin Mary is the person par excellence who did his father's will.

When did she do so? She expressed it verbally when she said to the Angel Gabriel at the annunciation, "I am the handmaiden (servant) of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Word." But she continued doing so silently whenever she did the will of God through her actions and decisions.

Mary was also, however, a mirror for us. Recall what she says in the Wedding in Cana: "Do whatever He tells you to do." It is the only commandment that she has given us. But what a commandment! We only need to look at her to understand its meaning.

This has huge implications. It basically means that God placed all His trust in her. God needed her go-ahead for the plan of Salvation to happen. It is true she might have hesitated. It is true that she asked questions. "How could this be?" Can you imagine how long God must have felt the pause until he hears Mary pronounce her yes? But then, finally, she lets go of her own worries and confusion, and embraces the will of God. "Let it be done to me according to your word!" She lets go and does the will of "the heavenly Father."

And Mary wants us to learn from her. Not that there will not be doubts and questions, and confusion and perhaps worry too. But in the end, we can look at her, and we too will reply, "Amen. Let it be unto me according to your Word."

Jesus here makes another move. He not only shows us the greatness of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but he also tells us that we can be like her. In other words, we too can bring Jesus into the world just as Mary brought Jesus into the world. How? Simply by doing the will of our heavenly Father.

We have to look for these opportunities to bring Jesus into today's world. I do not feel like to do something? Well, that is a great opportunity to say, "Let it be to me according to your word." I do not feel like to love my colleague at work, or I no not feel like to be generous at home? "Father, I have come to do your will!" I woke up grumpy and feel like to give a hard time to everyone around me? "No! Father, here I am, I want to love I want to do your will!"

When the Blessed Virgin Mary was presented in the temple at only three years of age, according to ancient texts (which did not make it into the canon of the Scriptures), it was the first step of her yes, her desire to do God's will. Let us ask our Blessed Mother to instill in us with the same desire that she had to do God's will, so that we too may be worthy of being called God's brothers and sisters and mother, because we too can bring Jesus into the world.