A Mary Moment Monday post

It’s going to be a rough day. I knew that when I woke up, and I am not dreading it, much to my surprise. Maybe it’s because I know I’m in good company; maybe I got enough rest over the weekend to prepare me; maybe I am shielded by prayer.

The word of my day, of my week, of my life is three letters long. It’s not a hard word, until I consider its implications.

Yes.

I used to roll my eyes at the thought that one vote could change the outcome of an election.  Yeah right, the cynic in me said.

Now, years later, I see how one Yes has changed the world, and I wonder, with great hope, if one of my Yeses could have an impact.  So often, I say Yes to what seem like silly and inconsequential things.

“Mommy, can I have chocolate milk?”

“Honey, could you make my lunch?”

“Sarah, would you mind driving me [to a place]?”

Oh, I say Yes to big things too.  I’ve done big things, but I wonder, lately, if the big things are as important as the small things that I do with love

Sometimes — or is it all too often? — it’s far easier to say Yes to the big things than to the little ones. I can look at a stranger and say Yes without a breath, but do I have the same enthusiasm for that person who’s crawling under my skin and sticking needles on my nerves?

Image source

This week we celebrate my favorite mystery of the rosary, the feast of the Annunciation on Thursday, March 25. (My favorite way to pray it is here.)  The day after that feast, on March 26, I’m going to start preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.

Will you consider joining me? You may not have time to order or purchase a booklet before Friday, but all the prayers are online here, and they’re even available as MP3 downloads (scroll down).  If you’ve already done this practice, perhaps this is a time to renew it.  It’s no small commitment, but giving a gift like this to Jesus is never without many benefits and opportunities for growth.

More of my Mary meanderings:

  • More of my ponderings on saying Yes and the lessons I’ve learned from the Annunciation are at Faith & Family Live in my latest column, “One ‘Yes’ Can Change the World.”
  • Mary’s title “Comforter of the Afflicted” is one of the many I turn to when I find myself unsure of where to go, uncertain how to proceed.  It’s a title that inspires memories of a small hot head on my shoulder and the parade of little people we saw in Children’s Hospital on a visit a few years ago.  My column reflecting on this title, “Mary – Comforter of the Afflicted,” is up at Today’s Catholic Woman.