The Feast of Responsibility

ONE

The Angel Gabriel said to Mary; “Behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." That’s the most important line. For with God nothing will be impossible. I think that’s why Mary is so powerful in her role, because she really believed that with God, nothing will be impossible.  And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Look at that, Mary gives herself to God unconditionally, to take responsibility for whatever He wants her to do, her mission. She takes responsibility for her mission. I am the handmaid of the Lord, whatever you want, I’ll do it. I think people have a hard time with responsibility today. But not Our Lady. And then immediately she takes responsibility, she goes all the way down to Ein Karem 90 miles away, whether she walked or...I think she rode a donkey. Once Mary knew Elizabeth was in need, she did not wait for someone else to take responsibility.

 “That’s not my job.” See, this is the problem we have as Catholics when it comes to the mission. Jesus only gave us one mission—Go and make disciples of all nations. But for too many Catholics we say, “It’s not my job.” That’s not the way Mary was. She didn’t hesitate. “She arose and she went with haste”, the Bible tells us. To bring Jesus to the home of Elizabeth and John the Baptist.

Mary still wants to go in haste, but not to the home of Elizabeth and John the Baptist. She wants to go in haste to every home. But she needs a donkey. Will you be her donkey?

TWO

So, what is the Movement of the Holy Family and what are we supposed to do if we’re part of this movement as members? I think we’re just supposed to be donkeys of Mary. I think we’re just supposed to stay close to her and let her direct us wherever she wants to so that we can carry her home to home, person to person, for wherever she goes, she brings Jesus. But a good donkey needs to take direction. So we take direction from Our Lady in the Rosary. This is why the Rosary has to be central to the movement. Because it was the Holy Spirit and Mary who formed Jesus in her womb, and it will be the Holy Spirit and Mary who form Jesus in you. And she does so through the Rosary. And how are we to become like Jesus. Well who knew him best? His mother! All you moms, you know your sons, you know your kids better than they even know themselves and it makes them crazy. But it’s true! Mary knew Jesus better than anybody, so she’s in the best position to teach us. And that’s why the Rosary is the school of Mary. We need to go to the school of Mary everyday.

But we don’t want it to just be a rote saying of words while our attention is somewhere else. That’s almost useless. We want it to be a real meditation on the word of God. That’s why we try to provide you with some little catechesis, some little teaching of Jesus between each decade so that we can learn our faith and learn to meditate.

But it’s also the easiest way to pray with others. Look what we’re doing right now! This is such an easy way to pray with a whole bunch of people of all different ages. And you don’t even need to be Catholic! You don’t even need to be a believer! Because she’s the mother of everybody. We just need some good donkeys who will round people up and invite others. And she’ll do the rest. Don’t think you’ve gotta do God’s part. Just do the part of a donkey.

THREE

Now the second part of the movement is that every person needs a family or a little group of friends that we share life with regularly. Think about why God established the family, you have this group of people that you make an oath, you make a vow, you commit to them, to stick together. And a lot of times, they’re really hard to live with! And God knew that! Because that’s the only way we would grow in virtue. But now we have this big problem. More than 50% of all Americans live alone. And even in our own families, we live in a way that’s isolated from each other. But the only way that we’re gonna be transformed is if we come together and share life regularly, habitually, often. Because we’ve all got these rough edges and the only way they’re gonna get rounded out is if we spend time together, bumping into each other. We need a family or a small group of friends, a little group that we share life with regularly, that we’re committed to over a long period of time. Why? Because it’s the only way to grow. It’s the only way to grow. And if you live alone or your kids are gone, you still need it. We all need it. We all need our team.

Now my daughter Teresa hates the word team. So...you figure out what you should call it. I don’t care what you call it. We all just need one.

FOUR

There’s an obstacle in our culture. If we never commit to a group of people then we can remain anonymous and therefore protect ourselves from the demands put upon us by others. But when you commit to a marriage and a family you have to spend time with that small group of people. It demands sacrifice. They hold you accountable, they force you to grow in virtue because these people know you and they need you to grow in virtue.

The problem is one of two things. When we isolate ourselves or when we spread ourselves too thin. And in both cases we avoid the depth of committed relationships that we all need. And we’re avoiding the call to greatness and the call to holiness.

Above all else, these small groups need to be modelled upon the family. Not the modern family that can be a violent mess of division and animosity that too often ends in divorce or disownment (I wanted to say dismemberment but Teresa wouldn’t let me). But we have to be like a family that’s stuck together and has to grow together and die together. That’s the level of commitment that you need in your family and in your teams. Okay, maybe you don’t need to die together but you do need some commitment! And we need, each one of us needs someone around us who knows us well enough to say, “Do you really need that second scotch? Do you think you’re working too much? Do you think your obsession with your kids is healthy for them?” We all need family and friends that can ask us brutally honest questions and people who you can give brutally honest answers to as well. If we don’t have friends like this...we ain’t gonna grow.

FIVE

Okay, we started out with the Annunciation and the Visitation. Where through the angel God asked Mary; “Will you be the mother of my son and the Holy Family? Will you take that responsibility?” And she said, wholeheartedly, yes. Well now we come to the last meditation. Pentecost, which is the bookend with the Annunciation. In the Annunciation God asked Mary to be the mother of His son, mother of the Holy Family, a little thing...well I guess that’s a big thing. At Pentecost, Jesus now says to Mary; “Will you be the mother of everything? All people? Will you take responsibility for everyone?” And she says yes. Pentecost is the feast of responsibility. Pentecost is the solemn feast of responsibility. She said yes to expand out.

Jesus not only wants us to be responsible for our own personal prayer life, the Rosary, our little team, but we gotta expand out. We have to have expansive hearts like Mary. Expansive hearts, that we’re constantly inviting people in, showing hospitality, and following up with them. Expansive hearts.

Pentecost is the feast of responsibility. Will you take responsibility? Will you be her donkey?