Today, December 24, is traditionally the feast day of Adam and Eve, our first parents. Their disobedience and unfaithfulness to God led to our need for a Savior, and the coming of our Savior required the obedience and faith of those who came before Him.
The First Reading tells us about the ancestor of the Savior, King David. (2 Samuel 7: 1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16) He sees all the good things that God has done for him, and asks to build a temple. But God does not want a temple. God wants David to be happy with what he has been given and have faith in God’s promises. David, if you read further in Scripture, does not try to do more than God wants, but simply praises God and believes in God’s promises.
The Gospel (Luke 1:26-38) tells us about our Blessed Mother. She believes the Angel who comes to her with the incredible message that she is going to be the mother of the Savior. She accepts with faith that God will take care of her and then she humbly obeys His will.
The actions of Our Lady and King David reflect their faith. They do not say they believe and then try to take control. They simply say yes to God’s plan for them, and God blesses them for it.
God, from the beginning, wanted to give us happiness as a gift. When Adam and Eve tried to achieve happiness on their own, they lost everything. But God kept His word and sent us a Savior who was perfectly obedient to save us from our own weak wills. In the end, this Savior even saved Adam and Eve. And He wants to save us. If we can just give submit our own wills to God’s will for us, then He will bless us beyond what we have ever hoped for.
In the end, this Savior even saved Adam and Eve. And He wants to save us.Click to tweet
Take some time to pray this Christmas Eve and ask God to help you to conform yourself more fully to His will. Unite your heart to Mary’s Fiat: “May it be done unto me according to your word.”
Susanna Spencer is the Theological Editor for Blessed is She and studied theology and philosophy in her earlier life. She happily cares for her three adorable little girls, toddler boy, and her dear husband in Saint Paul when not writing and editing. She loves beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious meals, baking amazing sweets, reading good books, raising her children, casually following baseball, and talking to her philosopher husband. You can find out more about her here.