As we prepare for the coming of the Word among us, the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph should be very much in our thoughts and prayers. We thank God for their wisdom and ability to discern the will of God. Christ tells us that, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
Sometimes in our lives we think discernment is significant only as we choose our vocations, our careers, our friends and perhaps make major purchases such as a car or house. Discernment, or the ability to perceive the will of God, is important every day in our actions, big or small. In order to do this we need time to reflect, to consider options, or as was said of our Blessed Mother, "she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be." (Luke 1:29)
As our nation increasingly espouses secular values while rejecting the Judeo-Christian tenets upon which our Constitution was based, we're losing the ability to discern good from evil. 'Good' can be described as our living in a loving, self-giving, unselfish manner toward every individual. When we choose to ignore this moral compass set by a 'higher power' whose very essence is love, we sink toward lawlessness and societal disorder. This is presently most evident in those areas permeated by liberalism and socialism, which acknowledges no boundaries to our freedoms and right to privacy, regardless of their consequences to others.
Our news media's daily reports of greed, dishonesty and violence attests to human sin. It's true that there's also much good in this world, but suffering is not caused by those practicing 'goodness’. The 'spoilers' are infecting us with amorality, a disease easily spread to those having no knowledge of God. These have undercut the most basic human right cited in our Constitution: the right to life. We create embryos in the laboratory simply to kill them and harvest their cells for use to prolong the lives of those who are ill, to relieve them of discomfort. We ‘terminate’ unwanted babies because they are an inconvenience or a burden. A unique human life begins at conception, regardless of how or where it takes place. Anyone who does not believe this chooses not to, but it doesn’t make it any less true.
What a role model our Blessed Mother can be for each of us for our lives, and particularly this Advent season. Her willingness to listen in prayer and facilitate the will of the Father served as the beginning of the redemption of humankind. Had she not agreed to cooperate with the plans of the Father our lives would be so different for all eternity. When faced with following the will of the Father, one might be tempted to say, "Oh, but I'm just one person; what difference would my life's actions make?" Mary was just one person. Look how she impacted millions of lives for all eternity!
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