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I have often struggled with today’s Gospel passage, because at first glance, it sounds as though Jesus is correcting the woman in the crowd and downplaying His mother’s importance. However, a closer look has helped me understand that Jesus is elevating the discussion from merely physical motherhood to spiritual attentiveness and action. In other words, Mary’s greatest privilege is not simply that she physically bore Jesus, but that she heard God’s word and obeyed it; a truly more difficult task, all the more admirable, and definitely worth Jesus pointing out.
At the Annunciation, she responded: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). If you’re like me, you might breeze over this passage every Advent and forget two incredible aspects of this. First, she heard the word of God. And we all know that is not always easy, either to hear, or to be listening at all. Second, she responded to it (or ‘observed’ it), equally challenging or even more so. How true it is in our daily lives that just because we hear God tell us something, doesn’t mean that we will promptly and generously reply to it as Mary did.
Let us take a minute today to recognize and give thanks to God for the examples He has given us in our lives of people who have heard God speak to them and have generously responded. Needless to say, we have Mary and the saints to admire, but maybe someone will come to mind who we can reach out to today and thank them for their example. And then, let us pray for each other, that we will also hear and respond to God’s voice in our lives, starting with the courage to listen.
A menudo me ha costado comprender el pasaje del Evangelio de hoy, porque a primera vista parece que Jesús corrige a la mujer de la multitud y resta importancia a su propia madre. Sin embargo, un análisis más profundo me ha ayudado a entender que Jesús eleva la conversación: pasa de la maternidad meramente física a la atención y la acción espirituales. En otras palabras, el mayor privilegio de María no es simplemente haber dado a luz físicamente a Jesús, sino haber escuchado la palabra de Dios y haberla obedecido; una tarea verdaderamente más difícil, aún más admirable y, sin duda, digna de ser señalada por Jesús.
En la Anunciación, ella respondió: “He aquí la esclava del Señor; hágase en mí según tu palabra” (Lucas 1, 38). Si eres como yo, es posible que pases por alto este pasaje cada Adviento y olvides dos aspectos increíbles del mismo. Primero, ella escuchó la palabra de Dios. Y todos sabemos que eso no siempre es fácil, ni escucharla ni estar realmente atentos para oírla. Segundo, ella respondió a esa palabra (o la “puso en práctica”), algo igual o incluso más desafiante. ¡Qué cierto es en nuestra vida cotidiana que el hecho de escuchar a Dios decirnos algo no significa que vayamos a responder con prontitud y generosidad, como lo hizo María!
Dediquemos un momento hoy a reconocer y dar gracias a Dios por los ejemplos que nos ha dado en la vida: personas que han escuchado a Dios hablarles y han respondido generosamente. Claro que tenemos a María y a los santos como modelos de admiración, pero tal vez nos venga a la mente alguien a quien podamos contactar hoy para agradecerle su ejemplo. Y luego, oremos unos por otros para que también nosotros escuchemos y respondamos a la voz de Dios en nuestras vidas, comenzando por tener la valentía de escuchar.
Mary Schneider is a bilingual professional currently serving at Davenport University, where she oversees the Credit for Prior Learning process. With a career rooted in high-stakes administrative leadership, Mary has transitioned her expertise in organizational strategy and stakeholder relations into the academic sphere. Prior to her focus in academics, Mary served as the Executive Assistant to the President at Davenport University, acting as a key liaison for the Board of Trustees and state legislators. Her diverse professional background spans multiple sectors, including real estate and nonprofit leadership across the United States, Australia, and Ireland. A graduate of Anahuac University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Development, Mary is also pursuing her MBA in Leadership Strategies and is a recent graduate of Davenport’s Leadership Academy through their Office of Performance Excellence. She is mother to four beautiful children and a new puppy, has a passionate pastime of music and singing, and while fully blessed with all of those things, treasures her faith as the most valuable gift of all.
Feature Image Credit: Jacopo Tintoretto, art.diocesan.com/stock-photo/virgin-from-the-annunciation-to-the-virgin-28242/
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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