The grace of free will

 

It is only God’s grace of free will that allows us to do anything.  We have a choice to use or not use the grace of God to bear Christ to the world.  Mary was graced to be born immaculate and without sin.  Mary wasn’t forced to bear the Son of God.  Mary was asked and she gracefully accepted.  God doesn’t force us to do anything.  We always have the freedom to choose.  Adam and Eve chose to sin, and this is where death entered into the world (Genesis 3:9-20).  Mary chose to bear the Son of God, and this is where life entered the world (Luke 1:26-38).

The Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived immaculately, and so is unstained by original sin.  Saint Paul reminds us that God chose us to be adopted as God’s children, holy and loved (Ephesians 1:3-12).  We all received a call in our own baptism.  That call is remarkably similar to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s.  Like Mary, we’re called to bear Christ to the world.  We’re called to be the voice of Christ in what we say and the hands of Christ in what we do.  We’re called to put this into practice every day, allowing ourselves to be the vehicle for Christ’s ongoing uplift of the world.  Our response to the call should be the same as Mary’s: “May it be done to me according to your word.”  Mary opened her heart to hear God’s word from the lips of the angel.  Let’s open our hearts as well as we hear God’s word.