Jamie's Yes

I'm very busy.   It doesn't seem like I have a lot of downtime.  I work, fit in sleep somewhere, work off-duty jobs, get kids ready for school, do my laundry, load/unload the dishwasher.   I have to post witty comments on Facebook, keep up to date on reading what's going on in the blogosphere, read my comics.  Oh, yeah, and don't forget playing Sims Social on Facebook.   I really don't know where God expects me to find time for prayer, or reading the Bible, or reading and learning about my faith.  I'm busy!   After all, I have three unwatched episodes of The Office and 2 of "Holmes on Homes" on my DVR!   I just can't be expected to do that.  AND I'm supposed to go to mass for a whole hour a week?  Seriously?


I expect, on average, I tell God "no" to simple tasks about 150 times a day.  Not just in the making time for Him category but doing acts that would be pleasing to Him.  How am I supposed to not gossip when I've got a juicy tidbit to share about Officer Soandso.   How can I not complain about things when my department just . . . well, don't get me started.  I think St. Augustine said it best when he said, "Lord, make me chaste.  Just not yet."  No. No. No. No. Noooooooo.  Not now.  Maybe later but probably not.

Yet, this weekend at mass, the 4th Sunday of Advent, when the angel Gabriel says to Mary, "Mary, you are so awesome that you are going to have a baby who is going to just knock it out of the park."  And you remember that Mary points out the difficulty in that since she hadn't been "intimate" with a guy and Gabriel assures her that the Holy Spirit is going to take care of everything.   Mary doesn't chime in and ask what she is going to tell the people in her family, in her village, or to Joseph.   She simply says, "Yes.  Let it be done to me according to your word."

And we sit back in our seats and think, "Yeah, that sounds about right."  It makes perfectly good sense.   The fact that she said yes seems as natural as can be when we've told God, "no" several times just since we've walked into church.   After all, in my mind, it's okay to be judgmental about the people talking loudly, or peeking at the nice legs of the lady in the short skirt the next pew over or to roll my eyes at the liturgist because he is playing this hokey music.

No.  I need to stop.   I need to be holy like Mary was holy.  I need to say "Yes, Lord!  Transform me.  Make me pleasing to you.  Remove any and all obstacles to you."    I need to make time for God--in prayer, in reading, in studies.  I need to act in a manner pleasing to God.

Yes, Lord---but if you'll excuse me----I see I have (3) Facebook messages pending.