Dear Fathers,Brothers,Sisters in Christ
Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
Luke 1:26-38
May it be done to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)
The Latin translation of this verse from St. Luke, Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, is a response in the Angelus prayer in Latin still said daily in monasteries, seminaries and various other places throughout the world.
Mary's "fiat" has been the topic of countless reflections, homilies, and writings for two thousand years, yet it is as intriguing and mystifying now, as it ever was.
How can we possibly fathom this amazing happenstance, this intervention by Holy God into the life of a humble adolescent Jewish girl? Through a spiritual messenger (an angel), God asks her to be the mother of the Messiah, the mother of the Son of God, and, in effect, our Mother, as we are members of the body of Christ.
Her response was not simply an impersonal act of self-surrender. It was a tremendous act of love, a personal, intimate act of giving in response to the ultimate Giver and Source of Love:
So long as we are mere channels for the flow of God's will, so long as we are nothing but impersonal tools in the hands of God, so long as we have no desires other than to discharge certain functions in the universe according to the plan of God, we cannot be transformed in Christ.
(Transformation in Christ, Dietrich Von Hildebrand)
(Transformation in Christ, Dietrich Von Hildebrand)
Von Hildebrand goes on to observe that to truly surrender ourselves to God, and to renew this surrender daily, what is required is "an act of love," as in Mary's fiat.
May we follow our Mother's example, and respond to God's continual calling us closer to Him, through ongoing acts of self-surrender that emerge from the depths of our hearts, in love.
O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.
Advents Blessings ,
Father Ed Bakker
Anglican Catholic Church / Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo
Australia
Anglican Catholic Church / Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo
Australia
