By Pat Haggerty

I am a classic movie fan---especially at this time of the year.  Once Thanksgiving comes, I take out my stash of old movies (now on DVD) and begin the process of savoring them.  They never get stale, and I can still cry over many of them, despite the fact that I have seen them countless times.

Without a doubt, my two favorites are It’s a Wonderful Life and The Bishop’s Wife. In both of these movies, an angel provides enlightenment to the main characters.  In It’s a Wonderful Life, Clarence is sent to earth to let George Bailey see what the world would have been like without him.  George discovers the essence of what makes life worth living and Clarence earns his wings.  In The Bishop’s Wife, Dudley is the answer to Bishop Henry Broughmam’s prayers.  The Bishop needs to find some perspective in his ministry and in his personal life.  The angel, Dudley, steps into Henry’s life to show him what he is missing and what God wants of him.

Do we have angels in our lives giving us perspective and helping with our Christmas priorities?  We probably do.  For our Mother Mary, it was the Angel Gabriel who came into her life with the most important message of our salvation history.  Gabriel announces to Mary:  “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”(Luke 1:30-33)

With this announcement, Mary begins waiting for the Lord. I am reminded of the words from the Slovak hymn:  “See how the Virgin waits for him; Mary in wonder waits for him.  Shake off your slumber; come all full of wonder, Jesus is coming as the Prince of Peace.”

During this season of Advent, we need to follow Mary’s lead and wait patiently for Christ our Savior.  We need to walk with the acceptance of Mary, move with her resignation to God’s will and live with a sense of generosity.

We gain our own perspective from Mary’s “yes.”  Let us journey with Mary during this season of Advent.  It might not hurt to listen to the voices of angels, either!