Let joy enfold your heart
Mary calls us: “In this time of grace follow me”. In the school of Our Lady Advent is a time when She Herself is
the Queen and Mother in a blessed state – enfolded in silence, prayer, trust and joyful service.
However the world prepares for Christmas differently. One lady shared the experience of being at Adoration in the
Cathedral in Vienna. In a small side chapel a few people were worshipping Jesus in the Blessed Sacraments while
the noise, songs and Christmas music were reaching in from outside. It hurt her deeply when she saw hundreds of
people entertaining themselves outside and only few ones were in a silence beside Jesus in the chapel. She wished it
could have been the other way around.
To follow Mary means to pray for those who don’t pray. Mary never condemns anyone – She embraces and accepts
everyone. She asks us to become like Her, to trust in God even if we don’t understand, when everything seems lost
and there appears to be no way out. Mary didn’t see the whole God’s plan yet She said: “Let it be done to Me”.
Follow Her in Her in our quiet daily “yes”, in moments of trial and pain, in what we can not understand and offer
everything for Her intentions. Remember Her promise that when we pray for Her intentions then something great
will happen, something that we have not seen yet. We will not regret it! The Lord will come, bless all and all will be
good.
To follow Mary means to let your heart be filled with peace. She lived in God and with God therefore She was
immersed in peace even in moments of pain, uncertainty and cross. She teaches us that peace doesn’t come from a
situation in which we feel good but only from the closeness to Jesus. Mother Teresa hadn’t felt any joy and had
experienced darkness for many years. Her peace was Jesus Who she trusted in and tried to remain with every
moment of her life.
To follow Mary means to spread the good that returns – to do small acts of love that only God sees. Mary is a
remarkable example of doing good in secret.
To follow Mary means to live in the joy of expectancy. She waited for the Messiah in the silence of Nazareth – not
in fear but in joy because She knew that God is faithful and kind. So we may also expect that God is at work though
we do not see anything yet. In one of Her Advent messages She said to us:
“Dear children! In this holy time of joyful expectation, God has chosen you, the little ones, to realize His great
intentions. My children, be humble. Through your humility, with His wisdom, God will make of your souls a
chosen home. You will illuminate it with good works and thus, with an open heart, you will welcome the birth of
My Son in all of His generous love. Thank you, dear children” (02.12.2008)
Prayer
Mary, we desire to follow You with joy. Help us find the quiet places and moments to be with God and in God. We
offer to You our prayers, sacrifices and good deeds for Your intentions. Help us to be kindhearted and benevolent.
Help us to use every moment in order to do good. We ask together with You for those who haven’t yet come to know
Jesus’s love and the true meaning of Christmas, so that everything may be good for them as You promise us. Let our
hearts be united with Yours in the joyful expectancy of Jesus’s birth. Amen