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Be It Done Unto Me According To Thy Word

2016-12-06-stephenThroughout this whole year, and especially during this Thanksgiving season, I have been thinking and praying a lot about how grateful I am for all of the blessings in my life. I have so many things to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my family, my friends, the opportunity to get an education, food to eat, a place to live and so many other things. Recently I have been thinking a lot about how grateful I am that the Lord has brought me to the seminary. Since entering I have had so many opportunities that I never could have imagined just a few years ago. One thought that keeps coming back to me as I try to thank God is “Why me?” Why did God choose to give me all of these things? Of all people, why did the Lord choose to call me to the seminary, and eventually to the priesthood, God-willing? I can give so many reasons as to why I am not the right guy for the job. I have so many recurring sins, so how in the world does the Lord expect me to be an example of the faith to others? Whenever these thoughts come to my mind, for some reason I always think of Our Mother, Mary, and her role in the Incarnation.

A tradition that we have at St. Andrew’s Hall is that every year on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we consecrate ourselves to the Blessed Mother or renew our consecration in accordance with the way of St. Louis de Montfort. As I have been going through the meditations to prepare for the consecration, I have really started to wonder how Mary must have felt after Gabriel told her that she would be the “Theotokos”, or the “God-bearer.” Who could ever imagine being chosen as the one who would give birth to God Himself, pitching His tent among us humans in order to redeem us? Calling this an overwhelming responsibility would be an understatement. And yet, Mary did not hesitate or doubt when Gabriel brought this message to her. She responded, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) She simply trusted that the Lord had a plan for her, and that if she trusted in Him and followed the path he set out for her, she would not be led astray.

I think that anyone who is trying to discern a vocation can learn some indispensable lessons from our Blessed Mother. We may think all of the time “Why me? There is no way I could ever be a priest. Why would the Lord choose someone like me, with all of my flaws and sins? There are so many others who are much worthier than me.” And yet, God’s ways are above our ways. I have no idea why the Lord gave me all of the things that He did. There are so many people that are much more deserving than me of all the blessings I have received. The fact that God would call such a flawed individual as myself to discern the priesthood baffles me. But when the Lord calls us, we must answer the call. He gives us our existence in a very specific period of time, in specific circumstances to fulfill a specific mission that he sets before us. Just like Mary, we must trust that the Lord’s plan for us will ultimately lead us to where we will find the most fulfilment. Let us all turn to our Blessed Mother during this season of Advent, and do our best to imitate her humble submission to the will of God. If we do this, we are sure to find true happiness and fulfilment.

Father Stephen Robbins
Father Stephen Robbins was ordained on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at Saint Agnes Church, of Our Lady of Hope Parish, Blackwood, NJ.
Father Stephen Robbins

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