The Power of Yes: Reflecting on Today's Gospel - Luke 1:26-38

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the Church offers us one of the most profound moments in Scripture: the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary with news that will change the course of human history.

Mary's Courageous Fiat

When Gabriel tells Mary she will conceive and bear the Son of God, her response is simple yet powerful: "Let it be to me according to your word." In the original language, this isn't a passive acceptance or reluctant resignation. It's an active, willing embrace of God's plan. Mary doesn't say, "If it must happen, let it happen." She expresses a strong desire for God's will to be fulfilled through her.

A Model for Our Lives

Mary's example challenges us to examine our own responses to God's call. How often do we postpone our "yes" to what God asks of us? How frequently do we hesitate when we sense His invitation to pray, to serve, to forgive, or to change?

Pope Francis reminds us that every "yes" costs something, but it costs far less than Mary's courageous "yes" that brought salvation to the world. She didn't defer to God out of obligation; she cleaved to Him in love, ready to serve completely and immediately.

Our Lady of Guadalupe's Message

On this feast day, we remember how Mary appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill in 1531, bringing a message of love and hope to the Americas. She came not as a distant queen but as a mother, speaking in the native language and wearing the symbols that her children would understand. Her message then is her message now: God sees you, God loves you, and God has not forgotten you.

The Call to Action

Mary invites us to stop postponing and start living our "yes" today. Do you need to pray? Say yes and pray now. Do you need to help someone? Say yes and act. Do you need to forgive? Say yes and begin the process.

Let Mary's example on this feast day inspire us to respond to God with the same courage, love, and immediacy that she showed. Her "fiat" opened the door to our salvation. What might our own sincere "yes" accomplish in our lives and in the lives of those around us?

On this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may we ask for the grace to say yes to God as Mary did—promptly, completely, and with love.