Fr Nate's Letter - March 23, 2025

From antiquity, the penitential aspect of the season of Lent was a time not only to do penance for one’s own sins, but also to pray in a special way for those who would be receiving the Sacraments at Easter. 

In the early days of the Church, becoming Catholic for many meant putting everything on the line - one didn’t know what one might be called on to sacrifice. Depending on the emperor, it might mean the confiscation of property and position, the loss of family and friends because they might suffer for associating with you, and for some it even meant giving their lives through martyrdom. Thanks be to God that is not the reality in our country today. 

A few weeks back when the RCIA candidates went through the Rite of Acceptance at Mass, those gathered in the pews were asked, “Will you pray for these our brothers and sisters who are preparing?” And the response from the congregation was, “Yes!” As the candidates participate in the scrutinies each week and their preparation intensifies, we remember and pray for these, our brothers and sisters, in our Lenten prayer and sacrifices, as they seek to follow the Lord more closely.

This coming week, on March 25, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation - the day the Angel Gabriel presented the Virgin Mary with Heaven’s request that she become the Mother of the Savior. (Which means Christmas is nine months away!) The mystery of the Annunciation has become a favorite of mine. In seminary, we were given the occasion to visit the Holy Land and spend a couple of months studying and visiting the different sites. At each of the different holy shrines, someone from our group was assigned to give a reflection, and of all the places, I was assigned to the Basilica of the Annunciation. During our stay in Nazareth, each morning I would walk down the short road to this magnificent church built over the ruins of the little house of the Blessed Mother. Some of the locals will tell you that the Angel first came to Mary when she was fetching the water at the well, some distance away (there is a church there now, the Church of the Well). Upon seeing the Angel, Mary was afraid and ran. So, they explain, when the Angel greets Mary in the account we have in St. Luke’s Gospel, he exhorts her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary.” 

St. Bernard, writing in the twelfth century, offers a beautiful reflection on this visit of the Angel. He presents all of creation as silent, waiting in expectation as the Angel makes his request. The whole world quietly begged Mary from afar to say yes to what God was asking of her, and not keep the Angel waiting, as our redemption will be accomplished through that yes. It’s beautiful to consider the stillness that must have been present in that little town at that moment in time. This little place in Nazareth is, if you will, “ground zero” - as it’s sometimes referred to - where Almighty God became flesh. 

Having just celebrated the feast of St. Joseph, it is easy to imagine the talk that must have started in that little town in the days and months following the Angel’s visit. Mary certainly must have been the talk of the local gossips. By the way, if gossip is something we struggle with, we would be in that group, which is all the more reason to avoid it. The beauty of Mary’s yes, which allowed the Incarnation and Redemption, is what we celebrate and why this day merits a break from Lent. This special feast also invites us to consider the power of giving our own yes to God, and the wonderful things that the Lord can do with such a response. Some time ago I was reading a reflection by one of the saints who commented that oftentimes we might not give the Lord an outright no, but we also don’t give a definite yes. Often what the Lord receives from us is maybe. Isn’t it true that our maybes to the Lord, those times when we’re not quite all in, leave much to be desired? And so we are encouraged during Lent to repent of our maybes to the Lord, those times when we are only faithful until something else comes along, and to work at turning our maybe into an unconditional yes. All creation begged Mary for her yes, as St. Bernard says, and now Mary adds her voice to beg us to join her in giving the Lord our yes. You and I desire to do exactly that, and we ask our Blessed Mother to help us! 

Wishing you all God’s blessings this week!

Keeping you in prayer and say one for me! 

- Fr. Nate