A little girl was walking along a beach covered with thousands of starfish left dying by the receding tide. Seeking to help, she picked up a starfish and tossed it back into the ocean. A man who watched her with amusement said, “Little girl, there are thousands of starfish washed up on the beach, you can’t possibly hope to make a difference. Why don’t you give up and go play on the beach with the other children?” Discouraged, she began to walk away. Suddenly, she turned around, picked up another starfish, and tossed it into the sea. Turning to the man, she smiled and said, “At least I made a difference to that one!” (Adapted from “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley).
During Advent we have been meditating on how the light of Christ scatters the darkness of our lives and our world. On the last Sunday of Advent we contemplate Mary, a central figure in this Advent drama. What is Mary doing in this Sunday’s gospel? She is bringing Christ to Elizabeth. Mary conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, and now she is attentive to the Holy Spirit who prompts her to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Love Incarnate is in Mary’s womb, and Mary goes in haste to bring Love Incarnate to Elizabeth.
Many of us will be very busy this week. Last minute preparations for Christmas will consume us. But in the midst of the busyness, will we forget our call to bring Christ to others? Will we fail to make a difference in just one life like the girl who threw one starfish back into the sea? Mary recognized that God was present in the needs of her cousin Elizabeth, and Elizabeth recognized the Savior present in Mary.
As Christmas approaches we will have many opportunities to recognize the Lord in our midst and to bring Christ to others. Mary brought joy to Elizabeth because she brought Christ to Elizabeth. This Sunday’s gospel invites us to live the virtue of charity by bringing Christ to others. Just as the Holy Spirit prompted Mary to go to Elizabeth, so too does the Holy Spirit prompt us to go to those in need.
How can we make Christ present? We can make him present by helping the poor, by visiting the sick, by reaching out to those who are in pain, or by reaching out to those who have lost loved ones during this past year. We, like Mary, are called to be selfless, aspiring to serve those around us.
A title that was given to Mary in the early Church was Theotokos, literally meaning God-bearer. Mary bore God within her womb. She mediated his presence as we see in Sunday’s gospel. As Mary was the “God-bearer,” we too are called to be bearers of God’s presence in the world.
Father Michael Najim is Spiritual Director of Our Lady of Providence Seminary, Providence, as well as Catholic Chaplain at LaSalle Academy, Providence.
