Saying yes to God is
never easy. Somehow we think that Mary had an easy time saying yes to God when
asked by the Angel Gabriel to be the Mother of God. The same goes for Joseph. He
was afraid to take Mary as his wife until the angel told him not to fear. We
are fearful of many things and that is perhaps why scripture tells us, as we
hear today, “Do not be afraid.”
Fear has governed
many aspects of our life. We live in fear of losing our jobs, our health, and
our loved ones. We are afraid that we won’t have enough….enough success, enough
money, enough energy to make it through the day, or enough of the things we
need to live comfortable and independent lives. In order to lessen our fears,
we work longer or harder. We spend our time and resources continually seeking
to improve our station in life. Yet, most still live in a persistently fearful
state, anxious of the uncertainties that lie ahead.
Advent is a time to
put our fears to rest. That is what saying yes to God really boils down to. Yes,
God, I trust you. Yes, God, I know you are with me through the turmoil and
uncertainty of my life. Yes, God, you will help me bear the pain, the loss, the
loneliness of life that I find myself in now. I know that you will calm my
fears and give me all that you see as good for me especially when fear has
seized my heart.
Mary’s son was born
into a dark and harsh world. Yet he never succumbed to the anxieties and fears
of life. Like Mary and Joseph, Jesus did all that His Father asked of Him,
saying “yes” to taking on our human frailties and becoming living flesh, the
Son of Mary; saying yes to taking on all the hardships of our human condition;
saying yes to suffering the injustice and humility of death on the cross to
free us from our sins and gain for us eternal life, free from all anxiety and
fear.
Today on this Fourth
Sunday of Advent, “everything is ready.” We are ready to greet the Child who
frees us from our fears.
Have a blessed and
joy-filled Christmas!
Deacon Tom
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