Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."
And Mary said:
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever."
Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.
In this familiar story we hear Mary, her trip to visit Elizabeth and her Magnificat, praising God for all he has done, all because she did her part and answered yes to what God asked her to do. The message Jesus has for us as his disciples is to “Be like My Mom,” to pay attention, listen, hear what God is asking of us, and then do your part.
God can speak to us through our conscience, scripture, in prayer, through other people and circumstances in our life, and even our dreams. As a disciple, it’s our job is to pay attention and listen, and of all the voices we hear, discern which one is God’s so we can know what he’s asking us to do and then do our part. We listen in order to do.
While it can be frustrating to filter through all the voices we hear to know if it’s God asking us to do something, there are a couple of questions we can ask ourselves to help us know. First, is what you think God is asking you to do good? God would never ask you to do something sinful or contrary to his teachings.
Next, can you do it? Is it something that you’re physically or mentally capable of doing? Sometimes our pride can trick us and bring to our consciousness something we wish we could do, maybe out of a need to be noticed or feel important and significant.
If you’ve made it this far, the next question, is it wise for you to do this? This is where self-awareness is important. Knowing the gifts God has given you and understanding who God made you to be, can help determine if it is a wise choice to do what you think God may be asking.
The last question to ask, is this something I want? If what you think God is asking you to do is good, you’re able to do it, it’s a wise thing for you, it matches up with who God made you to be, and it’s something you want because it gives you a sense of life and energy, there is a good chance it’s God’s voice you’re hearing. The next step is to be like Mary and do your part. The final test will be the fruit that results from what you do. If it is good, then like Mary did in her Magnificat, we praise God, thanking him for looking upon us, guiding our life, and blessing us.
We don’t need to do everything. The only part we need to do is our part. If all of us pay attention, listen and do just our part it leads to a harmonious, united family, church, and community. We are united by the fact that we are all doing something different. There is unity in our diversity.
If you can, imagine a symphony. Each person has received their part, prepared by practicing their part, and arrived ready to perform their part. Paying attention to the conductor, they watch for the cue and begin. The result of each person doing their part is beautiful harmony.
So if it is unity we seek, then let’s be like Mary. As we go through life, pay attention, listen for God’s words to us, and then do our part, knowing that one day as our life comes to its fulfillment, we will join Jesus in heaven, he will run to us, embrace us, and welcome us to our true home.
Blessings,
Deacon Ken