"Walsingham exists because of Mary" (pg. 16)

In Catechism lessons all over the world, children often ask, 'Would God have sent Jesus if Adam and Eve hadn't sinned?', would God have changed his plan?

We could spend a long time pondering a similar question ourselves, Would Jesus have become incarnate if Our Lady hadn't said yes?  What if she ahdn't actually believed the Angel in the first place?

Mary's cooperation with God's will for her opened up His will for humanity in its entirity.  Her cooperation also gave us a wonderful example of how to cooperate in our turn.  We will study in the Book of Life exactly how Mary is the perfect disciple, the one to be immitated.

For now though, just a thought to ponder - Mary believed the Angel's word.  She had been waiting for the Messiah and recognised immediately what was being said.  Though the Angel's greeting caused initial confusion, she straight away caught up with his train of thought and recognised the moment as being that of the advent of the long awaited Messiah.

Even in our own little ways and everyday events, if we don't believe that God is interested in us, that He loves us especially and cares how we are and what we do, then it will be even harder to respond to Him.

Over the last couple of months we have been practicing listening, pondering and asking Mary to teach us to say 'Yes' and 'Thank you' to the Lord always and every day.  If we don's feel addressed by Him, or that He is offering anything to say yes to - our task will be so much harder.

The thought that Mary believed the Angel might seem a tiny detail, but its an important one.  She was already on the alert, already waiting for the Messiah.  She was already awake to the fact that God  intervenes in people's lives.

Let's try again, as we prepare for Advent, to consider this tiny shift on our thinking.  God really loves us especially and wants the fullness of life, love and joy for us.  He is leading, calling, teaching and addressing us every day, in all the little moments of our lives.

In and through the little moments He can teach us how to love Him better, how to become more ourselves, how to heal and grow, where He is leading us and what deeper way He is calling us to.  But we have to believe.  

Walsingham exists because Mary believed and then said yes.  We are appraoching Advent because Mary believed.  As impossibly and improbably as the Angel's message sounded, Mary believed.

We need to believe too.  As we read the daily Gospels on the run up to Advent, let's not be afraid but believe!