March is gonna be pretty busy this year. We Catholics shouldn’t be shocked, but there are several Saints having feast days this month. In fact, there are at least eight Saints feast days this month including Saint Patrick’s Day and the Feast of Saint Joseph – Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We’ll also have The Annunciation of the Lord on the 25th and the last week of the month of March this year is Holy Week. WHEW! Might wanna polish your halo (ie….go to confession) and buckle-down in your resolve to keep solid in all of your Lenten “give-ups” for the next few weeks.
I like the fact that there are so many examples of pious, saintly people for us to celebrate. It gives me hope. We’re reminded that there are no “regular” people; that we’re all called to be and are capable of being saints. In the words of Bishop Robert Barron, “Your life is not about you.” The Saints know that. What Bishop Barron means by that is that we’re to make that Gethsemane choice daily, hourly and minute-by-minute to live His will…His life through ours. Frankly, most of the time….I fail.
Each of the saints that have feast days this month are excellent examples of their life not being about them. But perhaps the most obvious feast here is that of the Annunciation of the Lord. What we celebrate on March 25 (exactly 9 months before Christmas) is beyond measure as a human being allowing God’s will to be lived in their life. Her life (Mary’s life) was not about her. Clearly she recognized this and made the right choice. I’d like to think that if an angel appeared to me and had an idea he’d like to run by me that I’d not make the wrong choice. Truth is, it shouldn’t take an angel to convince me. Truth is, God having died on the cross should have been enough for all time….no further conversation or convincing necessary. Frankly most of the time I fail (he said again for emphasis).
One of my favorite paintings is of The Annunciation (you can see it attached to this post). I love the lacey, transparency of the angel Gabriel. I love the image of Sacred Heart in bright red, drawing the viewer’s eye to the Holy Spirit and to Mary as she humbly bows her head and that she is clothed in servant’s garb with her hair up. I love the reflection of the light from the Holy Spirit in Gabriel’s hands as if he is collecting the light with his left hand and directing it onto Mary with his right. Mary’s will is aligned with and submissive to God’s and it brings her peace. Notice Mary’s face in the painting. Now close your eyes and breathe in.
We all know what is to come and the anguish that will be visited upon Mary at the Crucifixion. However, like the Good that the angel Gabriel in this painting brings is not about Mary, the suffering she’ll eventually know will not be about her either.
So, just as Mary accepted His will for better or for worse, we will celebrate this month with the saints and with The Annunciation and Holy Week that eventually brings us to the Cross; and beyond the Cross to the Resurrection!
May God continue to guide your head, hands and heart.
Gaudete in Domino Semper!
