FIAT -- May it be done. Fiat is a simple and powerful Biblical
word. From the first pages of the Bible
in the creation account from the Book of Genesis, God said: “Fiat Lux.” Let there be light. And there was light. In the act of creation, God said: “Fiat.” Fiat Lux. And the sun was created, and there was light
to rule the day.
In the Gospel account
today of Mary’s Annunciation, Mary spoke that creative word of God: “FIAT." Let
it done to me according to your word.
Here we have Mary echoing the creating word of God. When Mary said Fiat to the will of God
in her life, she was not speaking of her ability, but rather her openness, her
availability to the plan of God for her life.
From the moment Mary spoke
these words: “I’m the handmaid of the
Lord; be it done to me according to your word.”
Her life was changed. She had
given herself over to God’s designs for her life.
This past Wednesday
Evening I was visiting a parishioner in the surgical intensive
care of Strong Hospital. A week ago she
had serious cancer surgery and was now experiencing complications in the
recovering process. She was on a
respirator fighting for her life. I was
praying with her husband and her daughter and anointed her once again. With much faith and a heavy heart, her
daughter Laura simply said: “Let God’s
will be done.” FIAT. Such a courageous word spoken by this 20-some
year old as she stood by the bedside of her mom holding her mom’s hands.
Laura was taking
ownership of Mary’s prayer. In so doing,
Laura was entrusting to God the person she loved the most.
This prayer of Mary in
the Annunciation has been known as the world’s greatest prayer. It is the prayer that brought God down from
heaven to dwell in the soul and body of a lowly young woman. It is the prayer that brought about the
greatest event in human history, God becoming human in Jesus. It is a prayer that changed forever the
course of human history some 2000 years ago.
The prayer of Mary is so very
different from what has been called the world’s most common prayer, the prayer
in which we try to get God to do our will.
The world’s most common prayer says:
“My will be done,” whereas the world’s greatest prayer says, “Thy will
be done.”
What does the Annunciation
say to us as we prepare for Christmas?
The Gospel reminds us of God’s desire to dwell in the midst of
humanity. As Christmas draws near, Mary
reminds us that the best Christmas, in fact the only true Christmas, is that
Christ be born not in the little town of Bethlehem but in the inner sanctuary
of our hearts.
The best possible
Christmas gift to us and to all is God’s continual promise that I will be with
you. God’s presence in our life is the
meaning of the mystery of Christmas. God
is with us.
Throughout the Old
Testament, God said to Isaac: “I am with
you…I will not desert you."
To Jacob: “Go back to the land of your forefathers, and
I will be with you.”
God said to Moses when he
objected to God’s plan: “I will be with
you.”
To Mary the angel Gabriel
said: “the Lord is with you.”
Surely this is the secret
of the celebration of Christmas, that in the birth of Jesus in the stable of
Bethlehem, God comes to us.
Do you remember what
Jesus told us on the 1st Sunday of Advent: “Stay awake.”
Do you remember the words
of John the Baptist on the 2nd Sunday of Advent: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close
at hand.”
On the third Sunday of
Advent, Jesus said: “Happy is the person
who does not lose faith in me.”
What we know and deeply believe
is that God is with us. The important
questions that remains is: “Where are we
with God?” Are we awake? Have we repented with the Sacrament of
Reconciliation? Have we kept the faith?
The message for us, as
for Mary, is that God continues to want to do with us what has never been done
before. Of course, Mary didn’t
understand what she was doing. She
couldn’t possibly imagine the implications of her assent.
As we enter the prayer of
the church in Advent, how inspiring it is to contemplate that the Word of God
is also coming to us.
Advent is our time to ponder
the promise that God is among us, that the Word is asking our consent to become
flesh in our lives. Mary invites us to
share in the mystery she carried and bore in her human life. The angel Gabriel invites us to say yes and
to entrust ourselves to God’s plan for our life.
And our answer will be….
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