Luke 1:26-38 or 39-47
Seeking Faith
Over the past couple weeks I have witnessed the Rite of the Catechumenate at two different parishes. Those seeking admission to the Catechumenate are asked two primary questions. First, they are asked, “What do you ask of God’s Church?” To which they reply, “faith”. Second, they are asked, “What does faith offer you?” And they reply simply, “eternal life“. Their responses are always firm and projected for all to hear. I admire their hunger and desire for faith and for eternal life.
Those of us who have been “in the Faith” for a while also know many of our responses by heart and often offer them from the heart. However, the question remains, do we believe what we profess? When we recite the Creed at Mass, do we believe what we profess? When the priest says to us, “The Body of Christ“, do we respond with a resounding “Amen” thus confirming our belief?
God’s Promises
I ponder these questions, these professions, these responses when I meditate on the words of St. Elizabeth to Mary, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” God always, always, always, keeps his promises. We have to believe that. We have to trust that Our Heavenly Father will keep his promises to us. The Scriptures during this season are filled with promises from God. He promises Zachariah. He promises Mary. He promises Joseph. And all of these promises are actually fulfillments of previous promises (see Isaiah 7:14, 2 Samuel 7:12-16, etc). He truly is, as Scott Hahn would say, “A Father Who Keeps His Promises.“
Advent is a time of “waiting in joyful hope” for the fulfillment of God’s ultimate promise of redemption, “I will put enmities between thee[Satan] and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel”.(The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims, Genesis 3:15) and the final battle when the head of the serpent is crushed (see Revelation Chapter 12). We are reminded of this promise today on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the name Guadalupe actually means “one who crushes the serpent.”
Our Part in His Promises
God keeps His promises and so does Mary. If we think about it, Mary and all of the saints, through their faithfulness, are the ways in which God keeps His promises. St. Augustine said, “God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us.” Perhaps we could also say that God makes promises to us that can only be fulfilled through us. This is not to say that God is powerless without us. Rather, the salvation and redemption of souls is helped or hindered depending on our response to His word. For example…
Adam and Eve opposed God’s will and so the coming of Christ was delayed thousands of years. The Israelites failed to trust God and so their desert wanderings were extended 40 years. Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) doubted the promise of Gabriel and so was made mute until John was born. (side note: maybe this was a maternity gift from God to Elizabeth, haha).
Noah listened to God’s word and the human race was preserved. Moses listened to the Lord and led the Israelites out of slavery. Mary listened and believed and the gates of Heaven began to re-open with her “yes”! Think of what God can do with your simple “yes” today and how it can change the lives of countless souls.
I truly believe God makes promises to us that can only be fulfilled through us! He wants your “yes”! He wants you to be a beautiful part of this tapestry of history, salvation, and eternal blessedness. May Elizabeth’s words to Mary be words spoken to and of us as well… Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled (Luke1:43).
Come, Lord Jesus! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!
FROM THE SAINTS – “Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything. Do not be afflicted by the illness of your uncle, who will not die now of it. be assured that he is now cured.” – The Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego (and to us)
Children’s Coloring Page of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe Themed Rosaries, Chaplets, and More.
James M. Hahn, Author 