KEEPING THE FAITH | Advent season emphasizes the values of hope, peace, love and joy
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, which is a season of the liturgical year observed as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming.
On each Sunday during Advent, a candle is lit to emphasize the values of hope, peace, love and joy that we should embrace year-round!
The birth of Jesus foretold in the gospel of Luke 1:26-45, in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!"
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. And He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end!"
Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Baby to be born will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail."
Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." And then the angel left her.
The angel, Gabriel, shared an announcement with Mary which was supernatural. A miracle, indeed. Imagine the thoughts flooding her mind! Now notice, Mary came short of asking, "What does this have to do with me?"
However, Mary does entertain the angel asking, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God.
I can only imagine how Mary's head was spinning with the discovery of her impending motherhood. The angel presented some information at the time which did not permit Mary to prod and explore further at the moment.
In summary, Mary will become pregnant. Mary will give birth to a son. The child must be given the name "Jesus." The child will become a great person. His title will be "Son of the Most High." Her Son will inherit "the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever." Finally, His kingdom will never end. He will not just reign for a lifetime but forever.
Let's be clear, it was not the moment for her to examine in detail all seven points of the angel's announcement. However, it was the first one that had to do with her — "You will be with child..." — that prompted her question: "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" Her questions were valid because, she had not been sexually intimate with a man and how will God accomplish this, since the normal means of pregnancy was not an option?
Some people say we shouldn't question God, but Mary did. She asked, "How?" Questions cause us to grow and learn. Questions stretch our minds and hearts and increase our understanding. Questions and the exploration for their answers contribute to our faith, even if the questions themselves may ultimately go unanswered.
Yet, the angel kept stirring it up! After explaining that Mary's Child would be Holy and Divine, the angel lets Mary in on another family secret: "Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
Mary's elderly cousin, Elizabeth, was well beyond menopause. All her life she had been called barren. That changed when God wanted to perform a miracle. Elizabeth's son, John the Baptist, was a "miracle baby" born to two senior citizens. The angel tells Mary: "Elizabeth, your cousin, is already six months pregnant, by the way" and he concludes, "For nothing is impossible with God!"
Yet, there is power, grace and beauty of Mary's response of submission, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."
Whenever I reflect upon Mary's response to the Angel's announcement and explanation, I am amazed! Here is a teenage female facing misunderstanding and rejection from her family, her betrothed, and her community. For a betrothed woman to bear a child out of wedlock to someone, not her husband could potentially result in shunning or worse — stoning. Nevertheless, she submits to the Lord's will for her life!
Sometimes it takes great turmoil in our souls to come to the place of submission. Even before Jesus was conceived, Mary was faced with the decision: Will I obey and make way for this King? or Will I take the easy way that avoids difficulty and pain? To her everlasting credit, Mary's response of faith is what our response must be: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."
"Mary Did You Know?" is a beautiful reflection of Mary's chosen assignment to carry and care for the Son of God. In Mary, we see an amazing young teenager who is entrusted by God to bear his Son and mother Him through his developing years. Though she can't know all the future nor really understand, she responds, "I am the Lord's servant." May we be ready to respond with that same submitted willingness when God calls us to serve.
Tidings of goodwill
Our community is blessed to have the ambitious women of the Junior Civic League, in cooperation with Amazon, provide needed COVID-19 reduction items such as face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and aerosol disinfectants to area churches, schools, and child & adult daycare centers in the city of Youngstown.
These supplies arrive at a time where there is an uptick in infections. It is the hope of the league that area residents will be encouraged to exercise safe practices. Under the leadership of President Jenita Howell-Gillespie, this community service organization has been dedicated to the advancement of its mission.
Additionally, the league has invested more than $650,000 in scholarships for students seeking higher education. I am honored to have been one of those past scholarship recipients.
Welcome to our community
The Rev. Norbert Keliher was appointed a new director of The Catholic Newman Center, a campus ministry at Youngstown State University, by Bishop David J. Bonnar.
The center provides a place for those seeking to grow their faith. Father Keliher hails from the Seattle area and attended Harvard University to pursue a course of study in classical language. He is a Dominican friar of the Province of St. Joseph, which serves the eastern part of the United States. He was ordained a priest in 2019 by Bishop Robert Barron at the National Shrine in Washington.
Father Keliher lives with the Dominican community at the St. Dominic Church. I look forward to engaging with him on campus and in our community.
In a crisis or feeling isolated?
Text HOPE to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. The service is FREE and offers 24/7 mental health support via text message at your fingertips. The Crisis Text Line is here, especially during this season, for any crisis you or someone you know might be experiencing. Matters like anxiety and depression can become overwhelming during the holidays. A live, trained crisis counselor receives the text and responds, all from a secure online platform.
Spiritual Laws of Physics
May you prepare for Advent, similar to the season of Lent, with the personal reflection that leads to a sustained commitment. We often engage ourselves in "What if…?" mental chatter that can be unproductive and anxiety-producing at times.
A friend shared these "mindful" directives which can keep us centered and grounded:
When you are alone, mind your thoughts.
When you are with friends, mind your tongue.
When you are angry, mind your temper.
When you are with a group, mind your behavior.
When you are in trouble, mind your emotion.
When God blesses you, mind your ego.
When I was in school I often wondered if I would need the presented knowledge in the immediate future for test taking or for other applications in life. Such as the case with my high school physics class where on occasion a theory's principle supports a theological position.
Newton's Third Law "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction" makes sense to me. The statement suggests that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. Stick with me, I'm going somewhere with this. Will this be on the test? YES and its open book- which contains God's trusted Word!
Proverbs 3:5-6 is a guide, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take."
That said, I offer an additional contribution to this collection of thoughts: When you feel overwhelmed and are facing mounting pressure, keep your mind on God while you keep the faith!
— The Rev. Lewis W. Macklin II serves as the lead pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, chaplain for the Youngstown Police Department, president of the Baptist Pastors Council and the local coordinator for the African American Male Wellness Walk of the Mahoning Valley. He resides in Youngstown with Dorothy, his partner in marriage and ministry. They share the love and joy of six children and eight grandchildren and their mischievous canine, Sir Winston.
— All biblical citations are New Living Translation unless noted otherwise.
This story was originally published November 28, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "KEEPING THE FAITH | Advent season emphasizes the values of hope, peace, love and joy."