Dear friends and companions in the Way,
Yesterday (March 25) was the Feast of the Annunciation, when we remember the visit of the angel Gabriel to the young woman named Miriam (Mary) living in Galilee. What we discover in this encounter is God’s decision to intervene in human history in order to save us from our own destructive tendencies. To accomplish this purpose, God needed a willing human partner. Mary’s “yes” to the call of God was the apex of the curve, the moment when the painful trajectory of human history began to turn around. In our day, God still seeks willing human partners who will cooperate with the divine will in pushing back against evil and darkness, against fear and greed and hatred. Make no mistake about it: this is a long struggle. Mary’s own heart was pierced as she watched the eventual suffering and death of her son, the Messiah. Let’s face it: you and I are going to witness and experience much suffering and death in the weeks and months to come. But death is never the end of the story. Christ overcome death and the grave, and the Body of Christ continues to do the same. So we are not afraid of death, because we know that saying “no” to the call of God is a fate worse than death. We pray therefore not that we may be spared from the struggles and hardships that arrive in life just like the high tides arrive on the seashore. We pray rather for resilience and determination never to give up, never to turn our back on doing the will of God, never to become cold or bitter or resentful or fearful. Let us meditate even more earnestly on Mary’s remarkable response to the angel, until it becomes truly and sincerely our own:
“Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.”
Beth Shaw
Parish Manager
The Episcopal Church of Saint Mary
43 Foreside Rd, Falmouth, ME 04105
207-781-3366, www.smary.org
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