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Saying Yes

Last night, as I got up to go to the bathroom for the third time (#pregnancyproblems), I found myself thinking back to each time I found out I was expecting. Four of the five times in that very bathroom. My reaction each time has been slightly different - fear, surprise, immense gratitude, tears of joy.

What must Mary have felt when the angel appeared to her? From the Gospel of Luke we know she was told to not be afraid, that she was greeted as only a handful of women in history had been greeted, that she wondered at the words Gabriel spoke. And we know she said yes. A young, betrothed woman from Nazareth said yes and the the world was forever changed.

What did she feel in that moment? Joy? Terror? But still she said yes.

These are, for many, scary times we find ourselves living in. There is fear of the virus itself - of getting sick, of losing loved ones - and of the fallout - joblessness, increases in abuse and suicide. Every day we're faced with a choice, to say yes or no to staying home or taking other measures to protect the vulnerable. To say yes to tearing ourselves away from the news to enjoy the time we have with our children. To say yes to putting back that extra pack of toilet paper someone else may need more than you.

Saying yes is not giving in to fear, but rising above it. Accepting the risks or the inconveniences or what-have-you for the greater good.

I've already had a lot of anxiety during this pregnancy and now there are a whole slew of new things to worry about - will I be separated from my baby? What if my baby gets sick? But I think of Mary, of how she well would have known the risks of pregnancy and childbirth, and the social ramifications of being pregnant outside of marriage. And still she said yes. 

 We should all be encouraged to say yes in the ways, little and big, that we can. Saying yes makes heroes out of ordinary people - grocery store workers, truck drivers, garbage collectors, medical workers, manufacturers, teachers. What if these people all gave in to the fear and said no? What if they all decided to stay home? If a fourteen-year-old girl can do it and become Queen of Heaven, imagine the saints that are being made at this very time.

Stay safe and well, everyone!

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