Today’s Advent Reading:
USCCB — December 12th
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My mom really loves the feature on iPhones that allows you to “react” to messages. And I really love her reactions to the reactions. The purity, wonder, and love I see in how she views something as small as a technological feature really embodies her spirit. During this stressful time of finals, I’m constantly drawn to aspects of my life that bring me a sense of peace, a peace rooted in God’s grace. To me, there’s nothing that fits that description more than my relationship with my mom.
The quality I admire most in my mom is her selflessness. Though I often try to take into consideration what others want, I know myself well enough to admit that sometimes what may be perceived as a selfless act on my part is actually a product of my wish for others to perceive me that way, which in turn, counteracts the original intention of such an act. With my mom, however, it’s incredibly easy to see that her selflessness stems from a genuine desire for others to be happy. Recognizing this manifestation of love, then, brings me great peace.
Today’s Gospel, Luke 1:26-38, provides us with the wonderful account of a manifestation of perfect love: Mary’s “yes.” Mary, our most perfect example of a mother, exhibits her complete trust in God. This grace that Mary possesses is something we all need. I find myself drawn to invoking Mary’s guidance during small moments throughout my day. Many of these times occur when I’m waiting. Besides just being forced to stop and think, these moments often provide me with hesitations and doubts. My mind loves to conjure up hypotheticals and I often get quite carried away. And thus I find that praying the words “Hail, full of grace” as the angel Gabriel did truly does bring me grace. There’s something quite special about relying on Mary, our mother, for a peace that stems from selfless love.
On this wonderful day to celebrate the most Blessed Mother, let us take the time to remember our own mothers. I know during my busy days there’s nothing more refreshing than a simple “Don’t worry so much” text from my mom. A text to which I’ll probably respond by “loving” it. That little heart next to the message will make her smile. And that little heart next to the message will remind me that all her words come from her heart, a heart full of grace.
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Anne Marie Crinnion ’20 is a Psychology concentrator in Dunster House.