Do you have boxes full of old letters and notes from people you love? I think most of us have at least a few of these in our closets. In my saved letters, there are a healthy number of notes from my friend Dudley. I met Dudley when I was a young seminarian. As part of our hands-on training, each summer seminarians do an internship at a parish, and in the summer of 2010 I was assigned to St. Peter Parish in Chillicothe. Part of that assignment involved going with the Pastor to a mission parish in the area, appropriately titled, St. Mary of the Missions in Waverly, Ohio. At St. Mary, I was introduced to Dudley, an adult with disabilities. His fine motor skills were limited and his speech was halting, but none of this held him back from being an extremely loving and faithful man. Dudley loved Jesus and the Church and had a special place in his heart for priests and seminarians. I enjoyed getting to see him at St. Mary’s throughout that summer. He always had a huge smile and a hug for me after Mass.
When I returned to the seminary after that summer, almost immediately letters started arriving for me bearing the unmistakable handwriting of my new friend, Dudley. His letters were always simple and to the point. He would often tell me that “I been real well,” and “I miss you and care for you,” and would almost always end with the words, “Take real good care of yourself always. Love, Dudley.” I loved getting his letters. They were small but meaningful acts of love from a man who immediately took me in as his friend after only knowing me for a few summer months. Even after being ordained, I continued to hear from him a few years.
Dudley and his loving, generous spirit is a great reflection of the energetic selflessness we witness in our Blessed Mother in today’s Gospel reading. Today we drop into Mary’s life just after a huge moment. Right before the passage in Luke’s Gospel today is the incredible encounter between Mary and the angel Gabriel. The prophet Micah, in the First Reading, had prophesied about this moment 700 years before it happened. He foretold that a woman would give birth in Bethlehem to a ruler whose “origin is from of old.” He talked of everything leading up to this all-important birth: “Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel.” Micah is pointing here to Mary! She was the one chosen by God to give birth to God-made-man! What an indescribable privilege.
So today we rejoin Mary just after the moment where she says to the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” This invited the Holy Spirit to overshadow her and allow Jesus, our Messiah, to be conceived in her womb. So what do we find her doing now that she has become the Mother of God? Planning for the most awesome baby shower ever? Going around telling everyone she can about the incredible privilege she’s been granted? No, she makes haste to go and help her cousin, Elizabeth.
This never ceases to inspire me. Instead of focusing on herself after receiving the incredible gift of God the Son in her womb, Mary thinks only of how she can serve someone else. Having received the greatest gift ever offered to any human by her Heavenly Father, Mary turns to focus on the others in this world who need her. Her heart is filled with that energetic selflessness that marked her whole life. Mary’s immaculate heart was wide open both to receive the grace of God and act on it. So when she became the first to encounter Jesus as He dwelt within her, she intuitively and generously embraced His call to love her neighbor as herself, even before He had given that Great Commandment. Something about this unique gift of God Who now dwelt within her womb moved her to that loving self-giving which is the foundation of our Christian life.
As we travel through this final week of Advent, Mary’s example and intercession are so important. We live in a culture where narcissism is not only accepted, but encouraged. When we receive something of great value, the prevailing wisdom is to enjoy it for ourselves and milk it for all it’s worth. But Mary, the Queen of all Saints, shows us where true happiness lies. She knew that the Father’s great gift was not just for her to enjoy alone. Her actions show that she embraced the invitation to selflessness through that deep connection she already had with the Child in her womb.
Think back to my friend Dudley. After meeting me, he was quick to give of himself. His selflessness was active, rather than passive. He didn’t wait for me to ask him if we could be penpals. He just started writing me letters. He was so grateful for the gift of my friendship that he just knew he needed to write to me. Mary was the same way. She didn’t ask the angel Gabriel if Elizabeth would need her help, she just made haste and went to help her. She allowed the great gift of Jesus dwelling within to move her to active selflessness.
So in this time of the year when we are tempted to pile the good things of the world onto ourselves, let us remember that the gift of God invites us to go out and share with others. Advent is an opportunity to reject the selfishness that deafens our ears to the call of Jesus, Whose coming we will soon celebrate on Christmas. Just as Mary, united to her Son, hastened to serve her cousin, let us hasten in these days to actively give ourselves to those whom God places in our paths. Let’s not wait for somebody to ask for our help, but actively look for ways to lay ourselves down for others even before they ask. Let’s not just enjoy the grace of God in a vacuum, but ask God to open our eyes to see those He is calling us to serve. Let us be inspired by the shining example of our Blessed Mother, and pray that the Father would form our hearts to be actively selfless like hers.
+ Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Your Son so that we might be free from the selfishness of sin. Jesus, through the prayers and example of Mary, Your mother and ours, help us to be open to Your call to selfless love of You and our neighbor. Holy Spirit, stir up the flame of faith in our hearts during these final days of Advent, so that we can actively go out to those who need our love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. +