Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, Luke 1, 26-38

How would you feel if someone came up to you and offered you an amazing thing for free? Would we be surprised? But at first, we would not believe it and ask about all the conditions around this, because we already know it from so many so-called winnings, e.g., The Audi A8 is certainly already yours, you just need to order the goods for y- money. If there were no conditions, we would take it immediately. God also has wonderful offers for us; we just need to listen well to learn to use these offers well and not be afraid to ask if something is unclear to us. Mária received a unique offer that has never been repeated in history. This offer made her an important woman chosen by God himself. But no one pressured her; she was free to decide. And she doesn’t rush headlong into anything, not out of fear. She asks what and how so that she can consider the whole situation and her role, and when she receives clear answers, trusting in God, she obediently answers “yes.” Mary is the exact opposite of King Ahaz from the first reading, who does not want to know anything and does not want to ask so that he can do his own thing and not have to follow God’s will. And he supports it with pious sayings that he should not tempt God. But the opposite is true; he doesn’t want to try – to do well, he doesn’t want to listen to wise advice. And we can already guess the end.

The basis of our successful life is to obey. And it does not only bind children and youth but everyone until old age. We know that obedience is not an easy thing at all. It seems that man cannot do as he pleases like this. But from our experience, we see that the goal of obedience is not restriction but the good of a person who can avoid negative experiences without their own doing, which we may have already bounced off ourselves and learned something that way. And we want to pass on this wisdom. At the same time, obedience helps us find our place in life. God knows where we would be most useful; that is, we would bear much fruit. You just have to follow some signs – your skills, grades, desires, hobbies, etc. And at the same time, we ask a lot, especially in prayer, to clarify what God wants from us. At the same time, you need to be inspired by people, their examples, and advice. They have already experienced a lot themselves, so they can help us. Being taught is not a sign of stupidity but of intelligence, because stupid people think they already know everything and only the intelligent know their limits. Maybe sometimes you have to overcome the limits of some shame to ask. If it helps us, we must realize that shame is a sign of pride that does not want to be defeated. And if we want to learn something, it costs us nothing to ask, and the answers give us a lot.

Young Hans, from one fairy tale, decided to go to higher school. He left his native village and went to study in Hamburg. After a year, he thought he had gained enough experience, so he returned home, welcomed almost as a doctor, and made mayor of the village. He was the first to order what would be sown, where to plant, etc. Not everyone liked it because their fathers taught them a different procedure, but they took the doctor’s word as they began to address him, except for one elderly farmer, Thomas, who was doing things the old way. The crop came out, but not as expected, while Thomas had decent yields. The following year, Hans ordered the forest on the slope to be cut down so that there would be better land there. But the rains came and washed everything down the hill. The village almost started to starve; only Thomas had enough of everything. Therefore, Hans, fearing for his post, told the villagers that Hans was a witch and should be burned. It almost happened, but Thomas didn’t give in and started to defend himself. But it didn’t help much. Finally, the oldest member of the village, whom everyone respected, spoke up. Until now, he has been silent because he wants people to learn from their deafness and stupidity and to prove Thomas right. Then they made him mayor, and Hans was kicked out. Let’s listen and obey the advice of experienced neighbors and God’s signs that want to show us the best way.