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Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, 4th Sunday of Advent
Mi 5:1-4A
Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19.
Heb 10:5-10
Lk 1:39-45
By Marc Massery
Mary stands as the model par excellence of what it means to say "yes" to receiving Christ. But she didn't just say "yes" and stop there. Elizabeth sums up the way in which Mary lived as to allow the Lord to work continually in her life. Elizabeth said, "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled" (Lk 1:45) Mary said "yes" and believed in God's word.
Every time we receive the Eucharist at Mass, we have the chance to imitate Mary. Just like Mary, though, we have to live in such a way so as to allow the Lord to continually work in our lives - we have to believe His promises.
Throughout Scripture, the Lord promises to heal us, provide for us, protect us, and fill us with His peace. If we say "yes" to receiving the Lord and believe in these promises, He will do everything He said.
Jesus makes clear the necessity of our belief in His goodness throughout St. Faustina's Diary. He says, "The flames of mercy are burning Me - clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls; souls just don't want to believe in My goodness" (177). He needs us to believe in order for us to receive.
Maybe we think it's simply unrealistic to believe, that the Lord is being unfair by demanding this. But many of us misunderstand that believing is not merely a state of mind. Everyone has moments when we feel like God isn't going to come through. True belief in Him requires living our lives as though He's already come through on all His promises.
How would we live if the Lord delivered on everything He promised? We would act more charitable toward one another. We would be quick to forgive and quick to ask for forgiveness. We would want to receive the Eucharist often, go to Confession regularly, and strive every day to become a better version of ourselves. We wouldn't dwell too long on our mistakes. We'd never wallow in self-pity. We'd beg the Lord to draw us closer to Him, knowing that He is truly good and merciful.
Unfortunately, many of us wake up in the morning frustrated that we have to get out of bed, so we hit the snooze button again and again. When we finally get up, we walk through the day with our shoulders slumped, our feet dragging, complaining about minor inconveniences, and counting the hours until the weekend. If we act that way, chances are, we will have trouble believing the Lord will deliver on His promises. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, "If you don't behave as you believe, you will end [up] believing as you behave."
So even if we don't feel like it, we need to start acting like the Lord delivers - and He will, even if it's not in the way we expected. As we consistently say "yes" with our actions, the Lord teaches us more and more to believe like Mary.
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