She Said Yes An EDGE Night on the St. John Neumann Parish December 19, 2016

The Annunciation refers to when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to a young girl named Mary with a message from heaven and asked if she would be the Mother of God. Mary’s answer of “yes” forever changed the history of the human race because through it she conceived her Son, the Word made flesh, . It is her Son who is fully God and fully man; it is her Son who repairs the relationship between God and the human race which was injured by sin and the Fall of Adam and Eve; it is her Son who conquered sin and death through His death on the Cross, and brought newness of life in His Resurrection; it is her Son who gives us God’s very life through the sacraments entrusted to the Church. Mary’s “yes” gave God permission to act in her life and, through her “yes,” He offers salvation to us all.

During the school day, you know that when a voice comes over the intercom you are about to hear the school announcements. These tell you what you need to know for that day: what time clubs are meeting, when and where practice is, and any other information you need to know. School announcements communicate messages you need to know.

The word “annunciation” comes from the same word as “announcement.” Like school announcements tell you what you need to know that day at school, the Annunciation brings the most important news, the good news of the Gospel, that God so loves us He wants to become human to save us from our sins. The Archangel Gabriel is God’s messenger, bringing this announcement from God and asking Mary to play her part. Through her “yes,” the Holy Spirit overshadows her and she conceives Jesus in her womb.

Spend some time reading over the Scriptural account of the Annunciation slowly, carefully, and prayerfully. It is found in the Gospel according to St. Luke 1:26-38. This account focuses on Gabriel’s conversation with Mary. There is another part of the story, focusing on Gabriel’s conversation with Joseph, found in the Gospel according to St. Matthew 1:18-25. Take some time to pray through this passage. After reading both accounts, consider the following questions:  What characteristics of Mary and Joseph stand out to you most? Why?  Who in your life do you see as an imitator of Mary? Why?  Who in your life do you see as an imitator of Joseph? Why?  Do you think many people say “yes” to God’s plans? Why or why not?  What does the Annunciation reveal about Mary and Joseph and their relationship with God?

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 What is one thing you can do to be more like Mary? To be more like Joseph? To be a better servant of God?

You don’t need to be an adult to be holy. In fact, many saints first became holy when they were children and youth. Mary was a young girl when the Annunciation happened; ancient tradition holds she was around 14 years old when the Archangel appeared to her, making her not much older than a middle schooler. Though she was not old in age, Mary was wise and advanced in faith and trust and willing to open herself up to God’s invitation and plan for her life. As we’ve seen, her “yes” made our salvation possible because through it Jesus became human.

There are a number of ways to describe Mary and her response to God’s invitation. The first is trust. When we trust someone, we are saying we believe in them and believe what they say to be true. When we trust someone, we believe that they will do what they say they will do. When we trust someone, we count on them to deliver and to pull through, to be there for us through everything. Mary’s response to God was one of complete trust. She did not know all the details of how everything God said would play out, but she trusted God and had faith that He would do what He said. She said “yes” freely and completely even when she did not know what would happen the next day or the next month or the next year. She trusted that God would be with her through it all, and that the child she conceived is truly God and yet truly her Son.

A second way of describing Mary’s response is that it was out of obedience. Sometimes the word “obedience” has a negative tone to it, as if it was something to be done blindly and without question. In its root, however, the word obedience comes from Latin words meaning something like “to listen to” or “to listen towards.” So basically, obedience means to listen to the words of someone in authority, and to respond appropriately and promptly. Mary obeyed because she heard God’s Word and responded freely and completely with her “yes” and “be it done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Joseph also was obedient. Constantly in the Scriptures, he hears the word of God and does it. St. Joseph is one of the greatest saints. He was tasked with caring for the , with providing for his wife, Mary, and her Son, Jesus, and keeping them safe. I cannot think of a man with more responsibility! St. Joseph is a great saint; do you know how many words he is recorded as saying in Scripture? Take a guess. . . .

The answer is: ZERO! St. Joseph is not recorded saying a single word in the . Instead, St. Joseph is someone who hears the word of God and does it, promptly and completely. He has a dream that he is to take Mary as his wife because the child she is carrying in her womb is fully God and fully man, and he does it. When King Herod is seeking to kill the baby Jesus and Joseph has a dream that he is to take the Holy Family and flee to Egypt, he wakes up and he does it. When the angel appears again in a dream and tells him it is safe to return to Nazareth, Joseph acts on it. St. Joseph is a man of action, not of words. He is a true model of obedience!

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Through Mary’s “yes” at the Annunciation, she made possible the salvation brought by her Son for everyone, including herself! A few weeks ago at EDGE, we learned about the Fall of Adam and Eve and the consequence of original sin we are all born with and which is only washed away in the waters of baptism. Even we who are baptized, however, still suffer the consequences of original sin and tend towards sin because our knowledge is clouded and our wills are weak. When we commit sin after baptism, Christ gives us through the Church the Sacrament of Reconciliation to be restored to the state of grace we first received at baptism.

With Mary, it was different. A few weeks ago, on December 8, the Church celebrated the of Mary. Now with the Annunciation, we are talking about when Jesus was conceived in Mary, His mother. With the Immaculate Conception, we are talking about when Mary was conceived in her mother, St. Anne. Because God foreknew the role she would play in salvation history by being the mother of His Son, God preserved Mary from original sin from the first moment of her existence, from the first moment of her conception in her mother. This is what the Immaculate Conception means: Mary was conceived without original sin and without its effects, and Mary never committed a sin in her life. She is the perfect human! This grace, however, was given to her only through who her Son is and what He would accomplish in His death and resurrection. So Mary’s “yes” made all of our salvation, including hers, possible! Mary is the new Eve, the mother of all those who receive the new eternal life brought by Jesus.

Mary said “yes,” and then she had to wait. With her “yes” she conceived Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit and then had to wait for His human development during her pregnancy and prepare for His birth. How long is a human baby inside its mother before being born? The normal time frame is 9 months. The Church celebrates the Annunciation on March 25. What is 9 months after March 25? Yes, you guessed it, it’s December 25, Day! Mary said “yes” and then prepared for and looked to the birth of her son at Christmas.

Advent, too, is a time for us to prepare for Christ’s birth at Christmas and to prepare for His second coming at the end of time. Like Mary, we have to prepare ourselves well. I challenge you and your family to use these last few days of Advent to prepare for Christ’s birth at Christmas. Maybe that means spending an extra ten minutes a day reading the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s birth and praying with them. Maybe it means committing to a few minutes of prayer in gratitude for all the gifts God has given you in your life. Maybe it means getting to confession before Christmas Day so you can be renewed and free to welcome the birth of Christ.

Maybe it means spending some time learning about and praying the yourself or with your family. This is a beautiful way to contemplate the mysteries of Christ’s life in union with His mother and ours, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The following website is a wonderful resource for learning how to pray the Rosary, including all the prayers and mysteries: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions//how-to-pray-the- rosary.cfm.

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Whatever you and your family decide to do in these last few days of Advent, may it help you prepare to receive Jesus with open and free hearts and minds this Christmas, and that you may answer His call like Mary did: “I am the servant of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.”

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