BY LLEROSE L. MASOCOL

My 4 year old son read the NO PARKING SIGN, then asked me " Walay YES PARKING Mama?"                               

In the simple mind of a child, the YES/NO concept is very important for language, learning, and social interactions as well as communicating preferences.  As I reflect and appropriate this concept, I realized that I need more of this in my life especially this time of the pandemic. Given my limited time and resources, there are many things that I need to Say NO to so that I can Say YES to what matters most (A.K.A. Essentials). More so, this month of September moves me to reflect about the YES of MOTHER MARY and the NOs that she must have said so she can fulfill her YES to God.

Given my limited time and resources, there are many things that I need to Say NO to so that I can Say YES to what matters most
(A.K.A. Essentials).

Mother Mary's YES to Angel Gabriel is an act of trust and obedience to God. It is a NO to doing things her way but rather listening to what God is inviting her to do. Gerald Fagin, SJ from the book Putting on the Heart of Christ, says "at times we can easily romanticize the Gospel scene—Mary is at prayer, an angel appears, and she says a faith-filled yes. The Scripture also tells us that she was deeply troubled and wondered what the angel's greeting meant." Saying NO to be overwhelmed by her feeling of being troubled meant a YES to surrender in faith and trust.

After the Big "YES" in the Annunciation, Mary made many more yesses until her Assumption to Heaven. These yesses consists of doing her responsibilities as a mother, a wife, and a follower of Christ. We can learn and ponder on this Sacred Story of Mary and grow in our relationship with God in our day to day life as well. Becky Eldrege in her post on Ignatian Spirituality.com entitled Mary, You Show Me The Way, asks a question that I also ask myself. On one ordinary evening, you were able to say "yes." …..Will I be able to say "yes" to God's invitation when it appears in the middle of my ordinary life?

"Lord what do I need to Say NO to in order to Say YES to what You invite me to do today?"

And so I was lead to reflect on my experiences this pandemic. Time management is a major challenge in online class and work from home set-up. For me, the difficulty is more on prioritizing things specially when domestic concerns mixed up with class or work responsibilities. There is also a need to take care of one's well-being so as not to experience being  burned out. SO WHAT DO I DO TODAY? This question helps me in ordering my day and becoming present to my needs, the needs of my family and the ministry. And so I pray "Lord what do I need to Say NO to in order to Say YES to what You invite me to do today?"

A "no"  to excessive time spent in Social Media for a "yes" to quite time and prayer time.

A "no" to not minding hours spent sitting in front of my computer for a "yes" to standing up every 20 minutes to prevent back injury.

A "no" to watching vlogs for a "yes" to finishing my tasks.

A "no" to eating while working in the computer for a "yes" to having meals with my family.

These are some of the NOs that God invites me to do so I can fully say YES to HIM. This will never be easy, but I say NO and YES one day at a time. 

We Pray with Pope Francis.

"Mary, Mother of Jesus,

you who accepted, teach us how to accept;

you who adored, teach us how to adore;

you who followed, teach us how to follow.

Amen."

Our Lady of the Assumption, Pray for us.

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