Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
I never know what station my train of thought is going to visit, and today did not disappoint. As I read the closing words of the Gospel today, I immediately thought of the line “As you wish.” Do you know it? The one from The Princess Bride that Wesley shouts as he tumbles toward the swamp filled with R.O.U.S. (Rodents of Unusual Size). You might be wondering what this has to do with the Annunciation, I know I was. It is that connection that I want to unpack a little today.
Commonly, when I think about the feast of the Annunciation, I think of Mary’s famous line, “I am the handmaid of the Lord.” It is a beautiful line but in and of itself incomplete without these concluding words, “May it be done to me according to your word.” Without these words there is no surrender of control over to God. Without these words then there are still my terms and the desire to do things my way. Isn’t that the hardest part, too?
A common and relatable example of this distinction between helper and surrender is the “I was just trying to help argument”. In “just trying to help,” we can become a hindrance because we try to help before asking how to help. We define our role as helper without first concede to the one we aimed to help.
We even see this play out in the first reading. When Ahaz was told to ask for a sign from God, he disobeys. He instead says, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” He has defined his role in relation to God instead of allowing God to define it and in turn call the shots.
This is the opposite of what Mary does. Mary’s declaration, “Let it be done to me according to thy word” is a moment of surrender. Mary does not cling to her notion of how she will be a handmaid, but accepts the conditions.
We do this in regard to our discipleship too. We tell Jesus that we desire to be His disciples and then he asks for something hard from us. Maybe he asks us to forgive a betrayal or to radically live a life of virtue and generosity. However, if that is not what we had in mind it is difficult to surrender our will. It is in that moment that we are wrestling within ourselves. Do we wish to remain in control and be the Dread Pirate Roberts, or do we wish to tell the Lord, as Wesley told Buttercup, “As you wish?”
It is that “As you wish” that opens the door for the incarnation and the entire paschal mystery that we are fast approaching, thus it is no mere coincidence that J.R.R. Tolkien imagined the Ring of Power’s destruction to be on March 25th.
When we stop grasping for control and can say to the Lord, “As you wish,” then we will know what it is like to be disciples like our Blessed Mother.
- Spencer Hargadon