A mother heard her son praying his night prayers. He was telling God what he planned to do the next day and how God could help him do it. The mother interrupted, saying, “Son, don’t bother giving God instructions. Just report for duty.”
For many of us New Year’s Day is a day of resolutions or good intentions. The Church celebrates the Feast of the Mary, the Mother of God. The child she gave birth to in Bethlehem was both divine and human. Mary is called the first and greatest of the disciples. In her relatively brief appearances in the gospels she is shown to be an example of discipleship – what it means to be a true and genuine follower of Jesus.
Mary did not give God instructions. Instead she said “Yes,” when God asked to her to set aside her plans for her life and become the mother of the promised Messiah. God never promised that it would be easy. In fact, the gospels tell us there we many trials and sorrows for this remarkable woman. Read the first two chapters in the gospels according to Matthew and Luke. In today’s gospel, she and Saint Joseph bring the infant Jesus to the Temple as all faithful parents did for his circumcision and naming. Mary followed instructions.
Our patron Saint Francis de Sales taught that in prayer we not only speak to God, but listen to allow God to speak to us in our heart. St. Luke tells us that Mary “reflected on all these things in her heart.” So many things were happening in Mary’s life that she needed time to take it all in. In other words, she spent some time in silence and in prayer. A good resolution for each of us would be do spend more time in silence and in prayer this year.
Rosalind Renshaw wrote a poem in which she has God speaking to all of his children:
Come, sit in my presence
Don’t say a word
Now is the time for my voice
Not yours to be heard
Come, sit in the silence
Soak it in your heart
Let go of your striving
Which keeps us apart
Come, sit in my presence
I’ll be right here with you
I’m closer than breathing
Don’t doubt that it’s true
Come sit in the stillness
Let my Spirit refill
Every part of your being
Your mind, body, and will
Come, sit in my presence
And my love receive
And know in your heart
That I’ll never leave
Come, sit in the solitude
Breath in my peace
Let go of your fears
Receive my gift of release.
Saint Francis de Sales wrote, “Every Christian needs a half hour of prayer each day, except when he is busy, then he needs an hour.” One percent of a day is almost 15 minutes. If we give God at least two percent of our day – thirty minutes – God will make all the difference.