"This extraordinary life could have had a beginning no less extraordinary. History creates heroes. Heredity is responsible for human greatness. Evil also evolves. Only holiness happens." (F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p. 77)
Today is the Feast of the Annunciation, conveniently located 9 months before Christmas. The gospel related to said feast day is of course the Angel Gabriel telling the young Mary that she will bear a child. News quite shocking to her, for a number of reasons. But after getting a little more details, she seems ready to do whatever God needs her to do.
It is true that we know our heroes generally in the past tense. We sometimes even make heroes out of folks who while doing what they do, were not seen that way. And while heredity certainly helps with greatness, we know of folks who become great though the gene pool seemed stacked against them, and also folks who should have been "great" who never achieved anything.
And in our time we certainly have seen evil become more obvious and more also more subtle, but just as sinister.
But holiness? I do think that just happens. I think the harder we strive to be holy the more likely we are to miss. When we allow the grace of God and the spirit of God to do its work, and to stay out of its way and not try to manipulate it, beautiful things occur.
I don't know if I would be able to have responded to such a visit in the same holy way that Mary did. That takes a lot more humility than I currently have. But if I could just let me be, perhaps it might happen.
Blessings,
Ed
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