Mary is such a queen. I could go on and on about how amazing she is, but I'll save you some time and just tell you about this Gospel.
"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb." Even while still in the womb, John the Baptist was excited about Mary and the presence of God. It's so crazy to think that even before he was born, John understood how amazing Mary is and why Jesus's coming was so worth the hype. And this was well before any kind of Catholic Church or community existed.
We have all of this at our fingertips, and we have so much proof of God's love, but it's still so hard to have that same level of excitement. Distractions and temptations surround us constantly.
I know that I have found it hard to be excited about my faith when I'm with people who don't share the same beliefs. Sometimes I can feel my peers judging me when I'm spending a lot of time at church. A lot of the time, I'm so busy that making time for prayer and God becomes something that I just have to check off my very long to-do list.
These are just a few of the excuses I'll make to justify my lack of excitement. But think about all the reasons Mary could have come up with to say "no" to being the Mother of God. She was extremely young. She wasn't married. There was no proof. People would have thought she was insane. People might have judged her for having an illegitimate child.
Or think of all the excuses John could have made. People judged him. It was extremely difficult for others to believe. He wasn't rich and he didn't have a very high status. He was a simple man, but who would have believed in that?
Despite all of this, both Mary and John fearlessly lived their lives for God. It's time for us to be bold.
"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." We must fully believe and trust in God as Mary did. And when it gets difficult, remember Elizabeth's words: "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of My Lord should come to me?" How blessed are we to have someone like Mary? She's the perfect example of a disciple of God and she prays for us. f you don't regularly pray the rosary, I challenge you this week to get out your weapon (your rosary) and intentionally pray for Mary's intercessions.
As we end Advent season and welcome this joyful Christmas season, continue the changes you made to prepare your hearts for the coming of Christ. Keep this momentum going, look to Mary's strength, and proudly show your passion for this beautiful faith.
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