Dear Parishioners,
We are in the fullness of May. The spring rains have come. The daffodils, hyacinths, and forsythia have bloomed and are gone. We have had the May Crowning. I have on my desk in front of me a small statue of Mary, with her arms open wide, eyes closed, in a pose that suggests she is in prayer. It is the perfect example of her contemplating the mysteries of her life, the things she pondered in her heart, the special relationship she had with Jesus. What an example for us! The Mother of our Lord quietly contemplating her love for her son, thanking God for the gift of her life, saying “yes” again to the Father in obedience and trust.
I have had my own issues of trust, and so to think about Mary’s “Yes” opens up in me an important avenue for spiritual growth. To say yes is to lay down my will, to believe, to trust in the will of God, to say “yes” to walking into the unknown, to going not where I want but where I am led by God. This was Mary’s journey, and it is ours as well. Can we close our eyes and say yes to the power of God to lead us, to guide us, to carry us? Can we open our hands, lift up our arms, close our eyes, and say to God, “I am yours?” Can we live out the saying, “Not my will, but yours Lord?” Mary did. Mary did, and marvelous things happened, miraculous things, transforming things. Her life was not the same, nor will ours be. There is a popular Christian song whose refrain is “Yes Lord, yes Lord, Yes, Yes Lord, Amen.” It is a simple, yet profound refrain. Let us seek Mary’s courage, openness, and love. Let us “let go and let God!” It’s Mary’s month. Why not now?
Blessings,
Deacon Steve
Rev. Stephen Hook is Pastor of the Pastorate of the Visitation which includes the Catholic Churches of Pasadena, Maryland: St. Jane Frances de Chantal (Riviera Beach) and Our Lady of the Chesapeake (Lakeshore). He is assisted by Associate Pastor Rev. John Belinki, Deacon Howard Klohr, and Deacon Rick Clemens. To learn more about our pastorate, please visit www.catholicpasadena.org.
