Fiat
No, not the car...the word!
Fiat. Be it done.
On this day in the liturgical calendar, we celebrate Mary’s Fiat. Today, nine months before Christmas, we celebrate the Angel Gabriel’s announcement to the Blessed Virgin. He told her what God’s mission for her was… but she still had to choose it of her own free will.
What was her reply?
Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Fiat.
To what might God be asking us today to give our “Fiat”? Maybe it’s being sick when we were had other plans. Maybe it’s not getting the job we wanted. Maybe it’s taking on a huge project when we thought we were going to get a break. Maybe it’s a child who needs our time and attention.
When the Blessed Virgin said those words, she opened herself, body, mind and soul, to God. Her reward was the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, God Himself, taking flesh inside her. When we give our Fiat, we also are united (though in a different way) to God Himself.
As I write this, I am waiting (away from home, staying in a hotel and with family) for my first grandbaby to be born. My daughter and I both want the baby to come now! Maybe that sounds like an easy Fiat to you, but I am anxiously jumping every time my phone dings, and my daughter is getting bigger and more uncomfortable by the moment. God is asking us for our Fiat.
[Update: the precious baby arrived this past Sunday. So joyous and blessed over here to be a “Grammy”!]
Sometimes it’s a glorious fiat. “YES, Lord, I would love to do that!” Other times, it’s a weak, barely audible “Okay, I’ll try, Lord.” But God still asks each day, each moment, for our fiat.
As we continue through Lent and Holy Week approaches, we contemplate Our Lord and His Passion and Death for us. The Agony in the Garden illuminates what was going on in His Sacred Heart. This is when He, as Man, gave His own fiat.
The words were wrenched from His Lips as He wept and sweat blood: “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me.” His Loving Heart was flooded with pain and suffering in two ways:
He knew exactly what He would suffer the next day, and saw all the sins of the whole world upon His shoulders.
He foresaw all the people that would reject His Love.
This is where we can feel His Heart. Imagine knowing all that you would go through, a magnificent, painful, horrible self-sacrifice, and then knowing that some people, many people, would mock, ridicule, and hate you for it. Imagine knowing that you would offer your love and see it rejected.
How His Loving Heart must have been torn into pieces by these reflections!
“Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matt 26:39) Nevertheless, He gave His fiat. Be it done to Me, He said.
Don’t we want to throw our arms around Him and say, “I’m listening, Lord! I love You, Lord! I accept Your offer and Your love and Your sacrifice! I won’t abandon You!”?
Ah, we say those things… but will we carry our own cross behind Him like He asked?
“Take up [your] cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)
This is where, once again, our Fiat comes in. “Be it done, O Lord.” Be it done to me, O Lord, as Your Will indicates.
Each day, each week, each year, we strive to give our Fiat to God. To every new plot twist, to every moment’s mission, to every unexpected change in our expectations, we give our Fiat. This week I will celebrate another birthday, and I pray that I can give my Fiat to all that God asks me in another calendar year.
As I have mentioned, my book’s first birthday is this month too! And you know I love telling stories of the Saints. So to celebrate, I’m offering a FREE live Birthday Masterclass: Saintly Solutions for Modern Struggles in just a few days!
We know each of the Saints, in their unique lives, gave their Fiat. But when we study their examples and learn from their stories, we can find greater strength to give our own. Will you join me in this free experience, to learn more about the Saints and how they point out our own way to Heaven? It’s my free birthday gift to you!
Sign up here to save your spot for this free visit with the Saints!