By Kate Anderson
My doubts were no match for her mountain-moving faith. “Come with me!” she implored. I had to agree, the Lord had been inviting me to spend more time with my sister and “too much to do” was a pretty lame excuse to withhold my “Yes.” This impulsive afternoon fiat was turning into a [sadly] big surrender. Checking a dozen boxes off my list surely could not be a better plan than tarrying the next 10 hours with my sister and some dear friends, right? I surprised even myself by submitting to the spontaneous, full of hope and wonder at what would come of this assent. Nonetheless, knots of doubt still formed tight in my heart after we arrived at our destination. Why this fretfulness when I had been so confident in my “Yes” before? Tears stinging my eyes, I heard the Lord gently whisper, “Katie Girl, are you here because it’s what you want or because it’s what I want?”
It wasn’t until this humbling conviction that my spirit softened and I could be fully present among my people. Sweetest graces quickly unfolded from this small fiat and a million little deaths to my “perfect plans.” Lord have mercy, I prayed on the quiet car ride home. How many of these glorious moments have I missed because I feared that saying “Yes” to Your invitation would leave me with less than Your best?
From small Sunday-tarrying to Mary’s world-changing “Yes”, a fiat is no small feat. Telling God “Whatever You want is what I want too” puts into perspective how fragile and not-in-control we really are. No wonder the Enemy is so quick to knot our souls with doubt when we try to cooperate with God’s plans. And who better than Our Lady to help us undo these knots?:
“Mary, whose “yes” opened the door for God to undo the knot of the ancient disobedience, is the Mother who patiently and lovingly brings us to God, so that he can untangle the knots of our soul by his fatherly mercy. We all have some of these knots and we can ask in our heart of hearts: What are the knots in my life? . . Do I ask Mary to help me trust in God’s mercy, to undo those knots, to change? She, as a woman of faith, will surely tell you: ‘Get up, go to the Lord: he understands you.’ And she leads us by the hand as a Mother, our Mother, to the embrace of our Father, the Father of mercies.” (Pope Francis)
Such a friend we have in Mary, who certainly empathizes with all souls hesitant to say “Yes” to God’s surprising ways. Cue tomorrow’s Gospel for the feast of the Annunciation: “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27). The planner in me is floored by Mary’s response to this life-changing call. But don’t we all want to have that kind of trust in the Lord and His plans for us? Hers is the prayer my heart needs most: “Whatever You want is what I want too. Let it be done unto me.”
Your ”Yes” matters because the Annunciation isn’t an event trapped in history. Every “Yes” we offer the Lord is a new echo of Our Lady’s fiat. Mary’s first “Yes” opened the pages to the greatest story ever: the story of a Father who loved the world and gave His only Son to save each one of us from our dreaded knots. We too are invited to be part of the greatest story this world has ever known. How can we refuse?
Let us ask Our Mother to bring our knotted hearts to the Untangler of Souls. Becoming free to fiat, we too may say “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world” (St. Teresa of Calcutta). Moment-by-moment, yes-by-yes, surrendering to the Father’s Will is the best plan we’ll ever make. Knot a doubt about that!
About the author:
Kate Anderson is a young lady with an old soul. She spends her days communicating and marketing for a Catholic School. Kate enjoys conversing with kindred spirits over warm beverages, reading spiritual books, and returning to her rural roots.
Photo courtesy of Kate Anderson. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Yes – our Mother Mary is the QUEEN of saying YES to the unexpected! Thank you for the reminder to turn to God and say “yes” when we’re caught in the unexpected, and to trust Him. We’re awaiting a diagnosis for my son for cerebral palsy, may have a mild form, but it was so unexpected at age 12, hearing this for the first time. Anyhow, we must trust Him that this will lead us on a beautiful path – whatever the diagnosis! Perfect for today. Thank you, Kate!
And the path will be beautiful, even and especially through the trials and difficulties. Jesus, we trust in you! God bless you and your family, Kathy.
Thank you, Kathy.
I just had an “Aha moment” on way to this morning’s Sunday Mass. By saying “Yes” to what I have been battling all these years of married life, I discovered that there was a precious lesson I had to learn that only my husband could teach me. This means saying “Yes” to God’s plan for me.
I am thanking him & Him for showing me how to truly love someone.
How beautiful, Evelyn! Finding God’s grace and thanking Him for these hard “Yeses” is such a grace and a beautiful witness. Praying this gratitude might lead to an abundance of peace and joy for you and your marriage. God bless you!