When we celebrate and praise how courageously the Blessed Virgin Mary responded to God’s call, becoming the Mother of Jesus, that is the Mother of God, do we ever reflect on her feelings and state of mind at that time? Some might question: Does this make sense? How could Mary make such an important decision without any hesitation? Did she truly think it through and carefully consider it? This is indeed a question worth exploring.

You might also wonder: Does Mary’s immediate acceptance of God’s invitation through Angel Gabriel mean that those with strong faith do not need to go through a process of discernment, but can simply accept God’s call without hesitation?

God has given us free will, as well as wisdom and the ability to think. Naturally, He does not want us to be mere puppets that He “manipulates”; rather, He desires us to choose Him and respond to His call freely from our hearts. Therefore, we can be certain that since the Heavenly Father granted Mary the same freedom of choice, He did not expect her to respond to His invitation without thinking. So, does Mary’s quick acceptance of God’s call mean that she did not carefully discern His invitation and made a rash decision?

From the Bible, we can observe that God’s call to individuals often demands an immediate response. Many examples can be found in both the Old and New Testaments, such as Abraham, Moses, the twelve apostles of Jesus, and the rich young man. So, how much time should we take for discernment in order to make a wise and heartfelt decision? Let us learn from the example of Mother Mary.

Someone once joked, “Ever since discernment became popular, no one has made a decision since.” While this is an exaggeration, it is a thought-provoking statement. This humorous observation suggests that

if we become overly anxious about discerning everything perfectly, we might endlessly delay making decisions. As a result, we may paralyze our ability to respond courageously, miss the opportunity to answer God’s call, and fail to embrace His loving invitation He extends to us at the moment.

Mary’s method of discernment was not about reacting impulsively or forcing herself to give a heroic response on the spot. In fact, God does not test our quick-wittedness, nor does He want us to make reckless and prideful decisions.

Mary’s discernment had begun long before God’s invitation. This does not mean that she had the ability to foresee the future, but rather that she was always prepared to respond to God at any moment.

Her way of preparing was through a habit of treasuring God’s words, “pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) This was Mary’s way of repeatedly “listening” to God’s voice because she understood that she could not fully grasp the meaning of His words and their revelation immediately.

Because Mary cherished God’s words, she preserved all the material she needed for discernment, keeping them for the moment when she would need to respond to His call.

More importantly, Mary did not merely remember these words, she continuously pondered them, connecting them with her life experiences and discerning God’s message and His will for her.

This is how she was able to respond to God’s call with peace and clarity when the time came.

Reflection

Have you taken God’s invitation or call in your life seriously? How do you discern and respond to it?

What methods do you use to discern God’s calling for you? Do you tend to be overly cautious or too impulsive?

Through today’s reflection, what inspiration have you gained from Mary that has changed your perspective and approach to discernment?

Today’s Prayer

My Heavenly Father, thank You for today’s reflection, which has helped me review how I have responded to Your invitations in the past. I realize that at times, I have been fearful because the future seemed uncertain, and I lacked trust in You. As a result, I have been overly cautious, using the need for detailed discernment as an excuse to delay my response to You. I now recognize that this attitude and approach must have deeply disappointed You. I am sorry, Abba Father!

I am grateful that through today’s reflection, I have learned from Mother Mary to treasure every word You speak to me, keeping them in my heart and pondering them carefully. By doing so, I can better understand the deeper meaning and revelation behind Your words for me.

Please strengthen my faith and hope, so that I may prepare myself more earnestly. When You next extend an invitation to me, may I respond more promptly and wholeheartedly. I am willing, under the guidance and companionship of Mother Mary, to learn to say courageously: “Let it be done to me according to Your word.” (Luke 1:38)

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Writer: Paul Yeung
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