In today's Mass, we heard such an incredibly inspiring story of spiritual fortitude and all-consuming faith: Mary's acceptance of God's call to bear Jesus Christ.
It is hard to even imagine a fourteen-year-old girl being able to fully comprehend this call, let alone to agree to it wholeheartedly. Yet, Mary was special, so full of grace and love and purity of heart. She is such a tremendous role model for us of surrendering our hearts, our souls, and our lives truly and completely unto God, to say yes to God's call, even if we don't understand exactly what that call entails.
To fully give ourselves to God and to cultivate genuine willingness to go anywhere that God leads us can certainly be difficult, and even scary. As humans, we tend to feel uncomfortable where unknowns are concerned. We like to feel like we are "in control" of our lives and our surroundings. Part of our challenge lies in admitting and accepting that, ultimately, we are not in total control; only God is!
To be sure, God gave us all free will, so we do have a sense of control in that regard. However, it is God who creates and shapes the paths that our lives will take. We do not control what this path is. We can, however, control how we respond to the life events, challenge, and changes that God sends our way. We can choose to open our hearts to everything God would like us to do, and we can choose to try our best to live them out in the most Christlike way possible.
This message of total openness to and faith in God has been reflected in the seasonal Psalm we have been singing in my choir during Advent, "I Lift Up My Soul".
Here are the lyrics for those of you who are unfamiliar with it.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
O, Lord, make me know your ways
Teach me your paths
And make me walk in your truth
For you are my God and my Saviour
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
The Lord is so good and upright
He shows those who stray
He guides the humble in the right path
He teaches His way to the poor
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
His ways are faithfulness and love
For those who keep
His covenant and His will
His friendship is for those who revere Him
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
To be sure, God gave us all free will, so we do have a sense of control in that regard. However, it is God who creates and shapes the paths that our lives will take. We do not control what this path is. We can, however, control how we respond to the life events, challenge, and changes that God sends our way. We can choose to open our hearts to everything God would like us to do, and we can choose to try our best to live them out in the most Christlike way possible.
This message of total openness to and faith in God has been reflected in the seasonal Psalm we have been singing in my choir during Advent, "I Lift Up My Soul".
Here are the lyrics for those of you who are unfamiliar with it.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
O, Lord, make me know your ways
Teach me your paths
And make me walk in your truth
For you are my God and my Saviour
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
The Lord is so good and upright
He shows those who stray
He guides the humble in the right path
He teaches His way to the poor
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
His ways are faithfulness and love
For those who keep
His covenant and His will
His friendship is for those who revere Him
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O, my God
In addition, we sang "Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above", in the Sister Act style, for our second Communion song. It is such a fun song offering our joy and gratitude unto Mary for her acceptance of God's call. Here is a link to a video of the Sister Act version, for your viewing and listening pleasure!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyYNcpWhVbk
May God bless you, today and always!
Karen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyYNcpWhVbk
May God bless you, today and always!
Karen
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