Skip to main content

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!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Loki, Season 1 - Review

The first season of Loki is done, but the good news is that a second season is coming...at some point! It's been a heck of a year for MCU fans, with all the new shows and movies that have already come out and are still on the docket.  So, here are my thoughts on the latest Disney+ addition to the Marvel Universe: Things I Liked Sylvie  - she was the absolute stand-out of the whole show. I had never heard of Sophia Di Martino before, but she absolutely killed it. I love that about the MCU - taking virtual unknowns (like Tom Hiddleston pre- Thor ) and casting them in big roles. The chemistry between Sylvie and Loki was palpable, and I'm not ashamed to say that I totally ship them. I'm eager to see what Sylvie does next, and eager to see Di Martino in more projects!  Mobius - when I first heard about Owen Wilson being cast in a role in the MCU, I was like, Just kidding. But I was curious to see how the actor, a character in and of himself, would work out. He was such a br...

House of a Saint

102.5 pounds. That's how much I weighed when I was a senior in high school. I remember that number because I was proud of it, and because I never hit it again after I went off to college. At that time I was playing field hockey, eating a bowl of ice cream almost every night, and in a terrible, toxic relationship. Looking back at pictures of me from that time period, I looked slender and toned, by skin tan from practices and games spent outside. My teeth were straight and picture-perfect thanks to braces. My hair had a cute, natural flounce to it that I've mysteriously never been able to replicate.  But, boy, was I miserable in that body.  Fake it 'til you make it, baby. This time of year, when beaches and social media feeds are filled with images of half-naked bodies, it's hard to not feel less-than. Even knowing that people edit their pictures with filters and Photoshop, that they contort their bodies and hold their breath long enough to snap that perfect shot, it can ...

Beauty and the beasties?

Steampunk has come to Boston.  The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation  in Waltham is currently  exhibiting  steam punk-inspired inventions and Boston-area fans have been coming out in full Victorian era regalia. The trend, which has picked up media coverage in  The Boston Globe , has become largely popular in this area. As graduate student Kimberly Burk said in an article from November, "Boston lends itself to steampunk. You have the MIT tinkerers, the co-ops in JP, the eco-minded folks.’’ For the Bostonians not quite ready and willing to squeeze into a corset or strap on a gas mask there is the aforementioned exhibit and increasingly popular steam punk literature. Scott Westerfeld's young adult novel  Leviathan  is an exciting and easy read for those who are curious about this latest fad. Leviathan , the first book of the series, takes place in a alternate-reality Europe at the beginning of the First World War. In this book the continen...