From the Gospel according to Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “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.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
To Do and to Let it be done.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Our Mother’s “Let it be done” is one of the most magnificent human acts in history; it is not just a pious expression: it is a pure act of love and trust. Mary does not know how what God proposes will come about, but her yes is not naïve; it is courageous because it renounces control over the outcome.
In marriage, this renunciation is essential. None of us begin our marriage knowing what life will be like, whether illness will come, job changes, infertility or unexpected children, economic crises, or all the differences we discover over the years. The marital “let it be done” means admitting that we do not have absolute control over life.
“Let it be done” is accepting the reality of the other person and of oneself, without trying to impose our own view of things. But giving up control does not mean passivity or indifference; it means loving without possessing or manipulating. It means accepting that the other has different ideas, tastes, and emotions and not trying to shape them according to our own design. True love appears when control gives way to trust.
But just as the Virgin is not the one who makes it happen, rather, the angel tells her that the Holy Spirit will come upon her; we too, as spouses, are called to allow ourselves to be shaped by the Holy Spirit. In marriage, “let it be done” is not merely a “moral effort” or an “I have to manage this,” but above all a humble openness to God’s action within the relationship. Spouses cannot transform themselves by sheer willpower, but they can open themselves so that the Spirit may transform our hardness into tenderness, our indifference into attentive regard, our tiredness into patient service, our ego into fruitful self-giving. Our part is to acknowledge that we are frail, but God can do in us what we cannot do alone. Of course, God does not do His “almost everything” if we do not offer our “almost nothing.”
Applyed to Married Life:
Rose: You know? Today, while I was praying, I was thinking about Mary’s “let it be done.” And I asked myself how that “let it be done” sounds in our marriage.
James: And how do you think it sounds?
Rose: Sometimes… it sounds like “let it be done” when I accept that you’re tired and I don’t ask more of you than you can give. Or when I let my plans fall aside to listen to yours, and I try not to impose my own ways or my own hurry.
James: Then it also sounds like “let it be done” when I let go of my pride and tell myself: “I don’t have to feel wounded by my wife’s struggles.” Or when I hold you even if I didn’t fully understand what you were feeling.
Rose: The thing is, “let it be done” isn’t just for the big moments… it’s for the small daily renunciations. Don’t you think?
James: Absolutely. And also for the surprises we can’t control. Like the problems we’ve had with our daughters, or with our jobs… and also in those situations we have to remember to say our “let it be done.”
Rose: Yes. It’s trusting that God can bring something good even when we don’t know how to move forward.
James: And to do it together. Your “let it be done” strengthens me. It reminds me that I don’t walk alone.
Ros: And yours brings me peace. It helps me believe that whatever comes, if we live it united, it can become fruitful.
James: Then… shall we say it?
Both (softly): “Lord, let Your will be done in us.”
James: And how do you think it sounds?
Rose: Sometimes… it sounds like “let it be done” when I accept that you’re tired and I don’t ask more of you than you can give. Or when I let my plans fall aside to listen to yours, and I try not to impose my own ways or my own hurry.
James: Then it also sounds like “let it be done” when I let go of my pride and tell myself: “I don’t have to feel wounded by my wife’s struggles.” Or when I hold you even if I didn’t fully understand what you were feeling.
Rose: The thing is, “let it be done” isn’t just for the big moments… it’s for the small daily renunciations. Don’t you think?
James: Absolutely. And also for the surprises we can’t control. Like the problems we’ve had with our daughters, or with our jobs… and also in those situations we have to remember to say our “let it be done.”
Rose: Yes. It’s trusting that God can bring something good even when we don’t know how to move forward.
James: And to do it together. Your “let it be done” strengthens me. It reminds me that I don’t walk alone.
Ros: And yours brings me peace. It helps me believe that whatever comes, if we live it united, it can become fruitful.
James: Then… shall we say it?
Both (softly): “Lord, let Your will be done in us.”
Mother,
Immaculate Mary, woman of the “let it be done,” teach us to say our yes with love each day. May God’s will always be fulfilled in our marriage. May our God be praised forever.