Earlier, the Philippines has started the celebration of Christmas with the Filipino tradition of Simbang Gabi. As we prepare for the Coming of Baby Jesus, let us reflect on how it began with one ‘Yes’ of The Most Pure Virgin that has fulfilled God’s plan of redemption of the world. God from the very beginning of eternity has destined Mary to be the mother of Jesus. Mary was given the privilege and grace to be the instrument of the Incarnation of God-Man Jesus. In Mary’s womb, Jesus assumes human nature. Through Mary, the plan of having the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, which has been decided for all eternity, to bring all humanity and all creation to God, is fulfilled. Humans have turned against God by sins. But Mary, together with Jesus, linked heaven and earth again.
Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary her special mission to be the Mother of God. Her acceptance to it was needed though. She accepted it because of first, her virtue of obedience. When she has said ‘Yes’ to carry Our Lord in her during the Annunciation, she therefore also says ‘Yes’ to whatever it may bring – ‘Yes’ to all the joys of their simple family life, ‘Yes’ to hardships, ‘Yes’ to sufferings, ‘Yes’ to the entire missions of Jesus, ‘Yes’ to sacrifices, ‘Yes’ to the sorrows of His Passion, ‘Yes’ to adopting us all her spiritual children, and ‘Yes’ to love, all because she is obeying God’s Will for her.
Immediately and hastily she obeyed, without questions and complaints. This obedience went on throughout her life, and she remained cheerful, joyfully accepting the Will of God, because of her virtue of trust. She trusted in His plan for her and for her Son.
Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit, that’s why she was able to decide with wisdom. How can the Holy Spirit come upon us? By receiving the Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, and frequent reception of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, praying, and living a blameless life, because this is the Will of God. Losing our state of grace and friendship with God with mortal sins is not the Will of God. The Will of God is for us to be with Him in Heaven, out of His deep love and mercy for us. And we can only achieve salvation if we follow His laws and commands.
All of us, too, are called to have Mary as our role model in virtues of obedience and trust. Even it’s hard to do so, we have the calling to obey and trust Him even there are ‘faith-shattering’ experiences in our lives, such as when our family member is diagnosed with chronic sickness, when we have employment problems, when our finances are short, when relationships with others are strained, when our life has uncertainty, when it seems we are alone and abandoned by God. We should pray in these tough times, and trust that God has a plan for us, that God knows what He’s doing, that God is there. Our Blessed Mother is beside us, taking care of us when we are feeling scared, burdened, troubled, rejected, broken, abused, humiliated, betrayed, ill.
Our Lady also took her role in the Divine Plan of defeating Satan when she said ‘Yes’ to be the Mother of the New Adam, Jesus Christ, whose Passion and Death have redeemed us humans, who the Evil One destroyed through the fall of Adam and Eve. The obedience of Mary to God undid the disobedience of Eve. The feebleness of Eve that the devil mocked was replaced by her completely humble obedience.
It is the Will of God for her to crush the serpent’s head:
And I will establish a feud between thee and the woman, between thy offspring and hers; she is to crush thy head, while thou dost lie in ambush at her heels (Genesis 3:15)
The obedience of Mary is described by St. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons (martyred in 203) in his treatise “Adversus Haereses” (Against Heresies):
“Mary, the Virgin, is found to be obedient, saying: ‘Behold, O Lord, your handmaid. Be it done to me according to your word.’ Eve, however, was disobedient; and when yet a virgin, she did not obey. … Having become disobedient, (Eve) was made the cause of death for herself and for the whole human race; so also Mary, betrothed to a man but nevertheless still a virgin, being obedient, was made the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race. … Thus, the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith.”
Here is another comparison:
“Enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness, the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by divine command, as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly and impeded by no sin to God’s saving will, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with him, serving the mystery of redemption, by the grace of Almighty God” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).
Like Mary, doing the Will of God with obedience and trust is the sure path of holiness to inherit the Kingdom of God.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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