“Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37)
As Catholic Christians, we have a specific set of beliefs that we recite together as a community every Sunday at Mass. Many of our brothers and sisters from other Christian denominations cannot state the same. The very first sentence is, “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.” How often have we really thought about that one statement of belief and what it implies for our lives?
Our faith calls us to worship with our whole heart, with our whole mind, and with all of our strength. That requires a surrendering to God of our being, of our thoughts, our actions, and our choices. Do we fully believe that God gives us what we need, or have all the past hurts and disappointments in our life led us to distance ourselves from God? Bad things happen all the time. Sin exists, people have free will, and our choices are not always the best. We often forget that the choices we make can affect other people’s lives. Praying for guidance and discernment is a vital part of the Christian way of life. We trust in Christ and believe the words that He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Through our prayer, God does answer. I have experienced it many times. But, the question remains, does the person praying have the patience to listen for God’s answer? Are we trusting enough to accept the answer; are we strong enough to say “yes” to a calling from God and to follow through with that “yes?” Mary’s “yes” was to a very challenging calling from God. She lived in a time where she could have been an outcast because of her “crazy lie,” stoned for her apparent “infidelity,” killed for her calling. However, God in His goodness granted the graces she would need to survive her calling, to birth us our Savior.
We each have a calling, the will of God. He asks us to trust in Him as He sends us on our journey to do His will and better this Earth. I challenge you to pray on what His calling is for you. Are you willing to find that out? To pray on it? To wait patiently for His response? To go where He calls you? The first disciples left their friends, their family, and their work to follow Jesus. Without their “yes,” Christianity would not have spread as it has. This world needs you and the calling He has given only to you. Pray on it and say “yes.” Who knows what fruits your “yes” could bear.
Have a great week!
Rebecca Poupard
Director of Worship, Family of Parishes