Mikayla (Olson) Yanovich has written this week’s reflection. Mikayla is married to Trevor Yanovich and mother to Tommy (2) and Agnes (6 months). In addition to being a full-time mother, Mikayla is a catechist for 9th confirmation class grade at her local parish. The Yanovich family recently moved to Nebraska! Mikayla served in Cohort 8 at Brilla College Prep Elementary as a 2nd Grade teacher and El Camino catechist.
“…since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, he decided to divorce her quietly.”
How often do we find ourselves in a similar position? Not divorce, but desiring that quiet separation? In the Advent season, it’s easy to quietly settle into the background and patiently wait for the chaos of the season to end. As a Fellow, you may be tempted to count down the days till break, for the busyness of December at school to take a halt. Even in whatever state of life you find yourself in after your Fellow year, it’s still so tempting to just to “grit it out” on the hard days.
We are tempted to bury our face into our phone, hit snooze one more time, and quietly go through the motions of our day. I believe the season of Advent invites us to hold on to the whole reason we are waiting in the first place, love. Our love for God and one another has brought us to the exact moment we are in right now and there are so many graces we could be taking in, but we simply are not asking.
Just as the angel said in this week’s Gospel, we too need to take Mary into our homes. Let her open our minds and hearts to the fruit of her womb, Jesus. Let her intercede on our behalf, as we ponder on the love that has brought us to the work we are doing right now. Whether you are wrapping up report cards or trying to get your 2 year old to go to sleep, it’s love that has brought you here and it is love that will pull you through. Jesus is already here in the flesh, if we cling to Mary, we will truly prepare our hearts to see His sweet face this Christmas.
