MARY’S YES:An Exemplar Obedience

to God’s Callby

Erwin Joey E. Cabilan

Guide Questions:

1. Who is Mary for you?

2. What particular experiene that has led you to articulate such understanding on Mary?

3. What happened to you after realizing the significance of the said experience?

Deepening

FIRST POINT

Experiences, either personal or collective, are channels of discovering how importance life is!

Experience is not only the best Teacher. It can also be a means

to find a real Lover!

SECOND POINT

Significant Human Experiences can be relayed in many ways!

THIRD POINT

Stories are powerful. They can transform us!

Possible changes that can happen:

Change of perspective

Change of lifestyle

Change of behaviour

Change of heart

Since two thousand years ago……….her personal story has touched many lives.….and still her story continues to be listened to and read over and over again.…. and even until now, many have been transformed!

Her Story, The Story(Luke 1: 26-38)

Guide Questions for Reflection:

1. Describe the dialogue between the angel and Mary.

2. What are some of the keywords of the Gospel passage that struck you most?

3. Do you think it was easy for Mary to give her YES to God’s invitation as relayed by the angel? Why?

4. If you were Mary, would be willing to take God’s invitation? Why?

Understanding the Story

1. The Annunciation is a process.

Dialogic

Historical (it happened within time’s sheerness)

Dynamic

2. God has willed to save humanity with human collaboration.

In Salvation History, God called men and women to be His partners in carrying out His Saving Plan.When God called Mary, He, himself, broke the Jewish social custom.Mary is the « favored one » of God (Kecharectomene)Mary was destined for a « special mission ».

3. Mary’s obedience was a response out of freedom.

God never forced Mary.

Mary’s YES is her gift to God and to all humanity.

Mary is a « Slave of God ».

Mary’s fiat is a life-long commitment.

Keypoints to Ponder:

1. Mary’s YES is active.

It is her participation in God’s Plan of saving and liberating humanity.

It is a courageous act of a young lady.

2. Mary’s YES is a lifetime commitment.

Mary’s expression of her life of integrity.

She is a woman of Faith, Hope and Love.

3. Mary’s Yes is Christocentric.

God has been so gracious to all humanity.

By having favor on Mary, God looks tenderly on all of us.

Mary’s Yes means allowing God to enter into her SPACE where God can work « wonders ».

4. Mary’s YES means her willingness to be a missionary.

Mary is the first disciple of Jesus.Her being a mother to Jesus is her expression of being a follower of Jesus.Values: Service, obedience and availability

5. Mary’s YES is Mary’s Prayer.

Prayer leads us to know oneself, others, creation and God.

Prayer makes us discover and do

God’s will.

Prayer is not just a « moment », it is above all, « life »!

How can we know God and His will in a context………

that is clouded by fear?

that is shrouded by uncertainties?

that is filled with insecurities?

where, seemingly, God is absent?

Challenges:

1. To live a life of generosity

2. Make SERVICE as a lifetime commitment.

Know one’s talents and skills

Share them for the common good and for others to experience God’s graciousness.

3. To live a life of integrity

Integration of Head-Heart-Hands

Living the Faith with unwavering Hope and concretized by Love.

To preach-To bless-To Witness

Living in the spirit of Mary is the surest way of being united

with Jesus!

My Story+Your Story+God’s Story = OUR LOVE STORY

A Prayer

Mother Mary,full of Grace,help us to think in a way that

you think,to love in a way that you love,and to act in a way that you

act.Through these, I can be

intimate with Jesus, Your Son, our Brother, our Lover and our Friend not only today but forever and always.Amen.

Daghang Salamat!