Earlier in the month, I sat in front of the computer searching for a Christmas card. I noticed many that say something like, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Best Year Ever,” “Counting Our Blessings,” and, most annoyingly, just “Blessed.” And each was followed by a picture of an impossibly gorgeous family, with just the right clothes, frolicking in a bucolic field of evergreen trees.
Honestly, it frustrated me. As I called myself a Grinch, I reflected about why these sentiments bothered me. I realized that these cards seemed like just another opportunity to shout our “blessings” to others. It’s the social media pitfall in Christmas card form.
“Blessed” has become the catchall term to flaunt all the things we have, almost like an innocuous, innocent, less braggidocious way to brag. And admittedly, I am guilty of this as much as the next social media user. (When I write to you, I’m also writing to myself.) I know that’s why I felt turned off by it’s usage.
We’ve been using the term “Blessed” to mean that we feel lucky or grateful to have a thing, that something is bringing us happiness. And again, this is not an incorrect way of using this term. And I can hear the thoughts in your head. Are you saying that people shouldn’t be grateful for all that they have?! Well, of course not, but…
My heart was reacting to the fact that the term blessed has been watered down to the point of meaninglessness. We call ourselves blessed but don’t talk about God aloud. We speak of gratitude, but gratitude to Whom? We wish love and joy on others, but don’t acknowledge the one who is LOVE.
In response to my Grinchy-ness, I was offered an fantastic answer in an episode of one of Father Mike Schmitz’s YouTube videos, called “What Does it Mean to be Blessed?” (Side note: If you are not familiar with Father Mike Schmitz, I would highly recommend you jump on YouTube and watch all his videos.) Anyway, because of this video I realized why I was so annoyed.
In the video, Father Mike explains a deeper meaning to the word blessed. He says: when we say that something or someone is blessed, it is a deeply religious term. First and foremost, it means that something or someone is holy. The person or thing has been endowed with divine protection or favor, or even consecrated for a divine purpose.
So with all these things swirling in my mind, I dove into Advent. During Advent, I began working through the Blessed is She devotional. The devotional this year meditates on the Visitation and the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). We focus our attention on the fact that we are all called to bring the image of Christ into the world.
As I was working through it, I realized that there’s a line in the Magnificat that has always slightly irritated me:
“…henceforth all generations will call me blessed”
Luke 1:48
Up to now, my “braggy” interpretation of the word blessed has been muddling my understanding. I couldn’t reconcile my understanding of Mary, as the humble, virtuous Mother of God, and a statement that I thought sounded the opposite of humility.
But with Father Mike’s video fresh in my mind, I was reflecting on that particular line. I changed it like this: “henceforth all generations will call me {holy, set apart by God for a purpose to be different than I would have been by nature}. WOW!
Mary is acknowledging what God HAS DONE in her, not merely speaking about what He HAS GIVEN her.
And if I transfer this idea over to the part of the Hail Mary from St. Elizabeth, “Blessed are you among women,” I came to understand the phrase differently. Elizabeth isn’t praising her for what she HAS, but rather acknowledging what she HAS BECOME – Holy, Righteous, Perfected, Full of Grace!
All along I’d been thinking that we call Mary blessed ONLY because of the gift she was given to be the mother of God. But long before she became blessed (gifted) by motherhood, she was blessed in her existence. She was set apart by God for His divine purposes. She was made holy (albeit in a singular and unique way), so that she could be blessed with the motherhood of God. This made such a difference in my understanding!
But it gets even better! Father Mike explains that if you have been baptized, you also have been blessed. You and I have been set apart TO BE HOLY! We aren’t merely given blessings (aka gifts or divine favor). We have been blessed, chosen and set apart to be holy! The realization of this definition just blew my mind.
I just want to repeat this for any of you who might need to hear it again:
God has set YOU apart to be special, for a purpose, for His purpose. He has made you His own. He wants you to live in that divine calling and purpose He has set aside for you.
Bringing God into the world is not just for the Mother of God! It is for all of us! Mary was blessed in order to bring Jesus into our world in the Incarnation. So also God sets us apart to bring His presence into the place where He has put us.
“[He has] called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose…”
2 Timothy 1:9
It’s an incredibly daunting and humbling thought, and I don’t think that I am up to the task. Yet, if God has blessed us (made us holy and set apart), then we can trust that he will continue to sanctify us. He will make us worthy of the calling He has put upon us.
So the next time you think of all your blessings – as we generally do at this time of year – I hope you’ll recall that, while we should indeed thank God for all the precious gifts given to us, they are nothing compared to what he has done and will continue to do WITHIN YOU.
So, during this last week of Advent, I pray that Our Father “who began a good work in you, will continue to complete it” (Phil 1:6). Lord, transform our hearts. Allow us to say with humility, like our Blessed Mother, that we are truly blessed. Help us begin to live out our divine calling, through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Merry Christmas!
