Advent 4 - Do not be afraid

 Luke 1:30-35

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

In the midst of fear

swamped by powerful emotions

Mary, who became mother of God

took courage in both hands

and offered: Here I am

Mary acceded, not out of meekness or naïveté

but in boldness and the fierceness of love

As we approach the Incarnation

in the midst of pandemic, 

with fear all around and emotions overwhelming

how can we offer our: Here I am

Offering, not by repressing our fear

or denying our emotion

but, in the midst of those

dredging up a vestige of faith

Faith that acknowledges

wherever we are

whoever we are

God’s invitation to us

is generous and grace filled:

to be midwives of God for this day

In the midst of the trauma in which we live

may we muster

Courage

Boldness

Grace

and

Fierce love

offering to God: Here I am