One would not be able to tell by mass attendance, but today is also our Parish feast-day. For over one hundred and fifty years men and women have been saying 'Yes' by lives of faith and faithful service in our parish. When I look at our church I am always struck by the beautiful Assumption window in the front of our worship space. But all around are windows of men and women who also said 'Yes' to God, and challenged the lives of their contemporaries. Hopefully the sacraments that we receive in this same building has the same effect for us. That is that the sacred mysteries challenge our response to the world around us, and cause us to live and maintain a holy way of life. We see that Mary's response is not to wallow in the honor of being called by God, but to go and serve her cousin Elizabeth.
I receicve a monthly magazine which features men's and women's religious orders. As some of the articles are written about the various sisters, friars, monks, or nuns, it becomes apparent that these are not wall-flowers that cannot make it in an active order, or even in real life for that matter. They have powerful personalities for whom Christ is the center of their lives. Their religious life is a natural conclusion of their desire to serve and be present to others, all in the name of Christ Jesus.
As Mary proclaims the greatness of the Lord we seem to get a sense that she has pondered God and holiness quite completely. Her body, her entire persona, becomes a profession of the goodness and faithfulness of God. As men and women declare that they can do what they want with their bodies, Mary shows us what it means to devote ourselves to the faithful God. And when we receive the Body of Christ, it must be shared. In this way God continues to feed the hungry, lift up the lowly, and holy is his name.
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