The Annunciation Asks – Will You Say Yes

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Annunciation when the Magnificent, Eternally Wonderful, Glorious God stepped out of eternity to initiate His plans for the salvation of the entire human race.  He sent the angel Gabriel to an ordinary and seemingly insignificant virgin called Mary with the news, “Hail full of grace! The Lord is with you!”

You see, God used the ordinary in the person of Mary to achieve what appeared to have been totally impossible – the salvation of the human race.  In the same way, He takes the ordinariness of bread and wine and turns it into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus His Son.

In His plan for the salvation of mankind, God chose to involve another human in the person of Mary and needed her permission, her “yes” to go ahead with His plan.  Mary, in her free will could have chosen to say no, since she would have known of the custom to stone to death,  any woman found to be pregnant outside of wedlock in those days.  But Mary knew God, and she knew that if He had asked her to walk that road, that He would not abandon her.

The real power of the Annunciation, of Mary’s “Yes”  is still being seen and felt more than 2000 years later and will be known and felt throughout all eternity.  The real power here is that as a result of Mary “Yes”, God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to be the Precious Eternal Lamb of God to take away the sins of all of mankind.  As a result of Mary’s “Yes” God stepped out of Eternity into humanity to be one with us, except he was without sin.  Just as the old Eve said “No” to God and sin and condemnation entered the world, Mary’s “Yes” brought God’s Mercy into the world and paved a way for us all to inherit that which we were created for – eternal life.

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This God of ours loves us so very much, that not only did He give us all He had, but He continues to seek our involvement in His plans.  God needs us. We are His hands; we are His feet; we are His eyes; we are His heart; we are His light in a world that is so desperately lost in darkness.  If we choose to say yes to his call on our lives to be part of His plans, then an abundance of grace and blessings will flow.  God invites us in the ordinariness of our lives, to participate in His plans.  The Word of God tells us in Jeremiah 29: 11 “Yes, I know what plans I have in mind for you, Yahweh declares, plans for peace, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  For these plans to be realized, we must co-operate with God.

Rick was born in 1962 to Dick and Judy Hoyt, but because of a lack of oxygen to his brain, he was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. This meant he could not walk nor talk.  His parents were advised that he will not recover and will never live an ordinary life.  It was suggested to them that they should place him in an institution and get on with their lives.  But they choose to disregard that bit of advise and took Rick home with them.  Thanks to technology, they had devices built that made it possible for Rick to communicate.

In 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5 mile benefit for someone who had been paralysed in an accident.  His father agreed and ran pushing Rick in his wheelchair.  When they got back home that evening, Rick told his father that when they were running, it felt as if he was not handicapped.  That was the start of “Team Hoyt”, a powerful true-to-life story that has touched the lives of millions all over the world.  They have entered and completed several marathons and triathlons.

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Nicholas Vujicic was born in 1982 in Brisbane, Australia.  His mother’s pregnancy appeared to have been perfectly normal.  However, he was born with neither  arms nor legs.  There was no medical explanation as to why this happened.  Nick’s mother is a nurse and his father a pastor, both wondered how their son would make it not having any limbs.  They could have chosen to put him in a home but they did not.

As Nicholas grew us, he had to contend with what every growing child has to face.  He also had to deal with depression and loneliness.  But just as there were many unanswered questions in Nick’s mind, his experience of and faith in God grew, and it was this that gave him the passion he now has for life.  He is now an international motivational speaker sharing the hope that Christ Jesus brings.  He could have chosen to wallow in pity.  He instead choose to say “Yes” to God’s plan, just like Mary did.

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You might think that saying yes to God is difficult.  This is not necessarily so.  We can say yes to God in the ordinariness of our lives.  If you are a father, then you can say yes to God by being a father who is present and a positive role model to your children and to your wife; you can love your wife.  If you are a mother, you can make time for your children and teach them the things of God and not be so consumed in materialism that your children and become a bother. You can respect your husband. If you are an employee, then you can be an honest employee, giving an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.  If you are an employer, you can be fair and honest to your employees.  If you are a business man of woman, then you can be honest and transparent in all your business dealings. If you are a public servant, then you have the beautiful and humble job of serving others.  Serve them well. If you are Catholic, then you can become a Catholic on fire.  You can and should attend Mass every weekend and truly strive to live a sacramental life, and in all things, seeking to give glory to God.  And the list goes on, but I think you get the picture. All of us, without exception, can say yes to God from right where we’re at.

What about you sister?  What about you brother?  God is also beckoning you to enter into relationship with him and to actively participate in His plan of love for your life.   Mary’s “yes” resulted in the whole human race no longer being estranged from God, and now we all can have eternal life.  Because Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt choose to co-operate with God, Team Hoyt came into being and has touched the lives of millions all over the world.  Because Nick choose to exercise his faith in God and not self-pity, he has motivated many, many people the world over.  What will be said of you?  Will it be said that you touched many lives and your life itself was a great blessing because of your “Yes” to God’s plan.

The songwriter wrote:-

If I can help somebody, as I pass along,
If I can cheer somebody, with a word or song,
If I can show somebody, how they’re travelling wrong
Then my living shall not be in vain.

Chorus:
My living shall not be in vain,
Then my living shall not be in vain
If I can help somebody, as I pass along,
Then my living shall not be in vain.

If I can do my duty, as a good man ought,
If I can bring back beauty, to a world up wrought,
If I can spread love’s message, as the Master taught,
Then my living shall not be in vain.

As we ponder on the significance of the Annunciation, may your living not be in vain because you choose to say “Yes” to God’s plan for your life.  Mother Mary, please pray for us all that like you, we too may learn to abandon ourselves totally into the loving care of our God.