Mary – Page 7 – Daily Graces

Daily Advent Prayer Experiences for 2016 by DailyGraces.net

December 8, 2016 -Time Travel

Published on December 7, 2016December 1, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

Mary is an incredible creation of God. There is so much to be said about Mary, but we have just a short space and today happens to be a significant Marian Feast, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so let’s focus on that. Mary was immaculately conceived, which means that she was born without Original Sin. She did not have the inclination towards sin that the rest of humanity inherited from Adam and Eve. How, you might ask?

Time travel.

Ok, so maybe not literally time travel, but it’s a good analogy. When Mary was born the gates of Heaven were still closed. Jesus had not entered the historical timeline of the world yet, since He was obviously physically born after Mary. BUT, God (aka Jesus or in John’s Gospel, The Word, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1) is outside of our fixed and limited construct called time. So, in what some call a “preemptive strike” (here’s the time travel bit), Jesus, who exists out of time, took the salvation He was going to win for humanity and gave it to Mary before He accomplished it within our timeline. Pretty cool, huh?

Why is this important? Mary remained in this pure state throughout her life. She was protected from both Original sin and personal sin. She is immaculate. When we enter heaven, after a life of friendship with God and having been cleansed in purgatory, we too will be immaculate or stainless. Mary shows us our destiny, the way we were designed to be. She perfectly united her will to God’s Will throughout her whole life.

As we continue preparing for Christ’s coming, both at Christmas and the end of time, Mary is the ideal example for how to best turn our lives toward Christ. By uniting her will with God’s, she completely oriented her life to serving God’s purpose, aka what it means to be a saint. St. Maximilian Kolbe famously wrote on the board for a group of students the following formula.

w + W = S

My little will in union with God’s Will brings me to sainthood. A few days ago we looked for small everyday moments when we could better unite our wills to God’s Will. Today, let’s spend our 3 minutes of prayer reading the following passage from the book of Hebrews. What stands out to you from this passage? Does it shed any light on an area you are discerning God’s Will or struggling to unite yours with His?

May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever [and ever]. Amen. – Hebrews 13:20-21

***Did you discover anything interesting while you reflected on how you wait for things? How did Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary help you grow in your time of waiting? Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.

December 7, 2016 – Waiting in Faith

Published on December 6, 2016November 28, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

I hope you were able to find someone to serve in a special way yesterday. I also hope that you saw the value in serving others, especially as you considered how Mary’s response to God’s Will is one of service.

When Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s home something special happened. As Mary approached, Elizabeth’s child (John the Baptist) “leaped for joy” in her womb and Elizabeth proclaimed the following profound words:

“Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?… Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:42-43; 46)

Now, I know that the details are rather sparse in the early days of Jesus’ life. Part of reading the Bible is using what we know about the culture, the people, the author and historical context to help us see the passages in a fuller light. We know Elizabeth lived approximately 80 miles away based on our geographical knowledge of Judea. So by donkey, or on foot and early in a pregnancy which for most women means nausea and naps Mary chooses to travel to Elizabeth. Mary was a lot tougher than I will ever be.

Now consider this. As far as we know and I would argue, we can infer with a high degree of certainty, at this point no one has affirmed Mary in this pregnancy. A child conceived out of wedlock was a death sentence for the mother, literally. It is likely Mary could have been stoned if Joseph took her to court. This was a girl’s worst nightmare. Depending on how quickly she left for Elizabeth’s Mary may not have even had any physical confirmation that she was pregnant. All she has to go on is the words of the angel.

She arrives dusty, dirty, probably feeling sick, definitely exhausted, and probably unsure of what kind of greeting she will receive. Then Elizabeth speaks. She not only welcomes Mary, she says exactly what Mary needed to hear. Elizabeth blesses Mary, she affirms her as a woman and as a mother, and then goes on to say those most important words that we all long to hear:

Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.

We all have moments of doubt. We all wonder or question what God’s plan is for us. While we may not all have Elizabeths who can affirm us so well, we do have her words to encourage us.

Sometimes we have to wait for the Lord, just like we are waiting for Christmas this Advent season. Elizabeth tells Mary, and us, that we are blessed while we wait in faith and hope.

Take some time today, perhaps before you go to bed, think about something you are waiting for. Are you waiting in faith and hope, as Mary did? Or are you anxious, worried, or despairing? Recite Elizabeth’s blessing and find comfort and support while you wait. And if you are struggling with doubts about something this Advent, keep in mind that we have a God who keeps His promises.

***What did it feel like to intentionally serve someone? Did you find that the moment of service pushed you a little out of your comfort zone? Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.

December 6, 2016 – Looking Outward

Published on December 5, 2016November 27, 2016 by KateLeave a comment

Mary is a great example for us in Advent, especially her fiat and all that follows. We saw yesterday how Mary said yes to God and His Will for her life. Today, let’s look at what follows.

When Mary says yes to God, her life changes course and she begins to move along a different trajectory than the previous day. She went from being one Mary among many (Mary was a common name) to Mary, the Mother of God. Talk about a life change.

In her discussion with the angel, Mary is told that her cousin Elizabeth is also pregnant. This is a big deal because we are specifically told Elizabeth was too old to have children. In my opinion Mary is told this information for two reasons. First, to help her understand what was happening and what was being asked of her. Mary is, after all, completely human.

Second, it’s for all of us. From her first moments as the Mother of God, Mary is teaching us what it means to fully follow Christ. Mary could have stayed home. She could have begun sewing clothes for Jesus while trying to make Joseph and her family understand what had happened to her. Instead, she looks outside of herself and chooses to serve her cousin.

Uniting our will as Mary did with God’s involves looking less to our will and focusing on God’s. Part of Original Sin is an inclination to put ourselves first and others second, or third, or never. Mary’s choice to visit Elizabeth concretely displays for us the attitude or posture that comes from uniting our will with God’s.

Who is one person you can serve in a special way today? Perhaps there is someone who you have noticed needs your time, attention, generosity or random act of kindness. Take the time today and serve that someone.

***Were you able to find 3 opportunities to more fully unite your will to God’s? What was your attitude like when you found an opportunity? Did you find that you already unite your will to God is some areas of your day, but avoid it in others? Please feel free to share your experience, thoughts and offer support to one another in the comments, on Twitter with the #DailyGraces or on the Facebook page.