It’s a new church year! We begin anew with Advent, a time to prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus. In this holy season of Advent, one model to look to in our preparation is Mary, the mother of Jesus and thus the mother of God. I want to share a list of four things that Mary taught us in the first Advent (her Advent of pregnancy, waiting for the birth of her child, the Christ-child). I saw this list once in a blog post and it has stuck with me since. This is from CatholicTV.com:

1. Be willing to say, “Fiat!” (Yes!)
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary at the Annunciation, Mary was a young, unmarried woman. She was certainly a person of great faith, and her life was a holy one. But what God was asking her to do was unprecedented - and risky. It was scandalous for a young woman to be pregnant out of wedlock. Mary trusted, however, that God would make this remarkable event happen and sustain her through it. This trust allowed her to give her “Fiat” to God - “Let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

2. Look for the little ways you can help others.
During the Annunciation, Mary learned of another miraculous pregnancy: that of her cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was much older and was believed to be barren before she carried John the Baptist in her womb. When Mary heard about her cousin, she immediately left to help her. Journeying far away to help a relative would be a challenge for anyone, but it was especially challenging for a young, pregnant woman who had just received an extraordinary vocation from God. Yet Mary did not think of herself—her first thought was to help someone in need.

3. Glorify God in all you do.
Mary also taught us a great lesson about humility that first Advent. It would no doubt be tempting to puff yourself up a bit if you have just been given the news that you are to become the Mother of God. But Mary did just the opposite. She recognized that it was God who was working in her. Her understanding and sentiments are clear in the beautiful prayer of the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), when she said, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46), and went on to proclaim, “For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Luke 1:49), and to praise all his works.

4. Make the best of what you have.
The familiar Christmas story tells us that there was no room for Mary and Joseph at the inn when it was time for Jesus to be born, and so Mary had to give birth to Jesus among the animals and lay him in a manger. This was certainly not an easy way to give birth and welcome the Messiah into the world. Yet Mary never uttered a word of complaint, and she made the site of Jesus’ birth into one we remember today in the beauty of the Crèche. Despite not having much, Mary persevered in faith and made the best of it, resulting in a gift that continues to this day.

This Advent season, may we follow Mary’s example of humble faith. As Mary bore the Incarnate Word, let us also prepare a place in our hearts to carry Jesus.

Let’s form Saints for the next 150 Years!
Yours in Christ the Servant,
Michael Halbrook