November 14, 2023
A Chaplain’s Thoughts: Advent 2023
By Rev. James F. Quigley, O.P. ’60
Associate Chaplain, National Alumni Association
She was just a young woman. On that unforgettable day she was surprised. Out of nowhere the archangel appeared. “Hail, Mary, don’t be afraid. God has invited you, chosen you to be mother of his son, mother of the savior of the world.” Mary thinks, “Can I? Should I?” St. Bernard speaks to her: “You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel waits for an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We, too, are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion … Answer with a word, receive the Word of God.” Mary then freely, prudently, generously, humbly, trustingly said, “Yes … Be it done to me according to your word.”
The poet Denise Levertov paints a picture in words. “We know the scene: the room, variously furnished, a lectern, a book, a lily. Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings, the angelic ambassador… We are told of meek obedience. No one mentions courage. The Spirit did not enter her without consent. God waited. She did not cry I cannot, I am not worthy … bravest of all humans, consent illumined her … consent, courage unparalleled, opened her utterly.” The fate of the world rested on Mary’s “yes”. After that word the angel left her. Mary was alone, her future changed, her life changed, her world and ours changed. Her mission began and with it her closeness to God deepened, a closeness that she could see and feel and touch.
Advent has come again to our Church. It is a religious moment in the Catholic, Christian calendar year, when believers begin to get ready to celebrate the Christmas event. Sunday Mass readings, Advent wreaths, purple vestments, prayers direct us to reflect on end times, on angels, on Mary and Joseph, on the birth of a baby.
Advent suggests we pay attention to the providence of God. Many things can distract us from belief in God, in Jesus Christ, in a spiritual life, in the Church, in sacraments. Perhaps each of us in our own way might pray for enlightenment, for the grace to believe the way Mary did. With a mother’s tenderness she cares for each of us, intercedes for us, whether we cling to faith or have disengaged from a spiritual world. And her courage won’t allow her to give up on any of us.
Father Quigley has been associated with Providence College as a teacher, administrator, and chaplain for more than 35 years.
