Reflections

Believing in Promises

It’s easy for us to take promises with a pinch of salt. Whilst growing up, we’ve learned that promises are easily made and easily broken. We make promises of our own with varying degrees of commitment. In short, promises are not always made to be kept, and our faith in a promise is seriously  undermined. No wonder the promises we read in the  bible don’t always make us jump for joy.

Does a promise made to us by God carry any more weight? If we were truly convinced that God was making us a promise then it probably would.  There’s a saying that goes, “We question all our beliefs, except for the ones we really believe, and those we never think to question.” It seems that belief is key in getting excited about a promise. Mary obviously had no doubts; this is illustrated in her promptness to act on God’s commands. We might not confess to doubts, but if we really don’t harbour any doubts, why then do we hedge our bets? Why do we squash God into a small corner of our busy lives and get on with other things?

Mary is a perfect role model for us all. She believed in God’s promise. She acted on God’s commands. She   didn’t push God into a small corner of her life ….  God was her life. “Blessed is she,” writes Luke in today’s   gospel, “who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Today’s gospel is an invitation for us to take God’s   promises to heart, to make them real in our minds, and act on them.