A few days ago, whilst rifling through a drawer, I found a small card with a short prayer on it, beginning with these words Mother Mary, be for me an example of surrender and engagement...
We often speak of surrender in the spiritual life. The word can imply resignation, and a weary acquiescence in the face of the inevitable; or it can mean a cessation of resistance before a superior strength. But there has to be more to our surrender to God than passivity; more than admitting that resistance is futile and God will have his way anyway, whether we go along with it or not. There has to be commitment; an active engagement with God's dream and desire for us; a desire for that dream to be my dream too. We have to say yes, not with our hands raised in fearful surrender, but with our hands held open and wide in joyful welcome.
Today we celebrate the Annunciation: Mary's surrender to and engagement with God's dream and desire, not just for her, but for the whole of humanity. May she inspire us to do like her, and say, with hands held wide Here I am... let it be...
We often speak of surrender in the spiritual life. The word can imply resignation, and a weary acquiescence in the face of the inevitable; or it can mean a cessation of resistance before a superior strength. But there has to be more to our surrender to God than passivity; more than admitting that resistance is futile and God will have his way anyway, whether we go along with it or not. There has to be commitment; an active engagement with God's dream and desire for us; a desire for that dream to be my dream too. We have to say yes, not with our hands raised in fearful surrender, but with our hands held open and wide in joyful welcome. Today we celebrate the Annunciation: Mary's surrender to and engagement with God's dream and desire, not just for her, but for the whole of humanity. May she inspire us to do like her, and say, with hands held wide Here I am... let it be...
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