vladimirgrebenar 
Mary said “YES” to God and that is why God does not want to say “NO” to her. God began the greatest undertaking in human history through one secretive, simple and humble woman. The plan of the Most Holy Trinity for the Son to descend from heaven and become man and thus establish a new order of things for all who believe would not have been possible if Mary had not accepted God’s calling. The mission of Mary’s life was to give birth to and nurture a Messiah who would change the world, establish a new Law, and offer a way of salvation to all who wish to follow God’s calling. Proof of this is that the whole world divides human history into the period before and after Christ.
Imagine for a second what would have happened if Mary had said “NO” to God. What would her life be like, and what would the future of the world be like? Mary would not have sinned by answering “NO”, as she would have been saved as sinless, but she would not have been crowned Queen of heaven and Earth and the history of mankind would not have recorded her name. However, the world as we know it would certainly not exist, and neither this generation of people nor the progress of humanity would be possible. Death and hell would have the main say.
We simply cannot imagine a world without Jesus Christ, because Christianity has established a new order of things, and we can thank today’s progress primarily to Christian civilization, which has had a positive impact on all societies of other religions. Mary said “YES” to God and that was her most important life decision. She decided to obey God’s calling and allow God to take an active part in her life, that is, to act together.
Why did Mary say “YES” to God? How could she accept a calling that was inexplicable and incomprehensible to human reason? She really asked for an explanation: “What will it be like when I don’t have a husband?” In other words, she seemed to ask, “How can this happen when such a thing is impossible and I have never heard of it?” However, she received the answer that God would carry out this endeavor by the Holy Spirit.
Did such an answer clarify all her questions and rationally interpret the end result? It did not! Was such an answer true and sufficient for her to have confidence in God? It was! Mary had no more questions, and she could have asked a thousand. Her consent was an act of faith and trust in God and she believed that God would perform His work that required her consent. God spoke to her like a Father who expects a child that does not understand anything to trust him. Such an act of faith and trust requires a special gift called inner knowledge.
Like a child who knows that a parent will perform an endeavor that he does not understand, but has confidence in the parent. St. Augustine described such knowledge in the following words: “I cannot describe what it is when someone asks me, but when I do not have to explain what it is, I understand perfectly well what it is.” Inner knowledge arises as a process of faith when a person continually listens to God’s callings in prayer and responds proactively so that over time he learns through results and actions how God calls and how He helps in the endeavors He calls us for.
Inner knowledge contributes to two important charisms: the discernment of spirits and the wisdom that comes from God. Mary had such knowledge, or charisms. She realized that the call she received was a call from God, not her imagination or the trap of the evil one. She knew that it was wise to listen to God’s callings and act upon them, for the results of such action are ultimately indestructible and a joy and a blessing to many people.
It was not only Mary who said “YES” to God, but also Joseph. He had been repeatedly called by God to make decisions that he certainly would not have made. For example, God called him to accept Mary and the child she would give birth to, which was contrary to his first decision. Also, God called him to go from Bethlehem when Jesus was a little child with his family to Egypt, which for the Israelites was a pagan and hostile land. Joseph responded to the calling each time and carried out to the end the venture to which he had been invited.
He did not doubt, did not contradict for security reasons, did not procrastinate, did not think too much or ask questions. He simply humbly carried out what he was called to do. Let us pause for a moment and consider what Joseph might have thought when he was called by God to go with his family to Egypt and remain there until God called him back. Like Mary, he could have asked a thousand questions about what and how Egypt would be. Joseph was a real entrepreneur, a man who made a living from his work and the free market.
In Nazareth, he had a workshop that had well-established businesses and well-known customers, and his craft was well known in the wider area. Joseph had an excellent reputation as a hardworking and successful entrepreneur and had a seemingly secure income. However, Joseph left it all behind and responded to the invitation to go to Egypt in complete uncertainty. What was Joseph doing in Egypt? He started a new business venture from scratch, in a foreign country, without money and worldly connections, without loyal customers and business recommendations, without everything he had in Nazareth. He worked patiently, found jobs, and took care of his family.
As a man of faith, Joseph had the inner knowledge that God would do the perfect thing and that it was enough to be obedient, patient, and trust in God. Mary obeyed Joseph because she knew that God had spoken to him and that all would be well. Wonderful family harmony even in the most difficult life temptations. Trust and obedience to God to the end. How important it is for entrepreneurs to have a harmonious marriage in God!
The month of May is the month of Mary, and begins with the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
The world celebrates May 1 as an international labor holiday and on that day St. Joseph the Worker is not mentioned, but many protest for better wages and working conditions.
Far fewer people thank God on that day for the blessing of the work and the results of the work or pray to St. Joseph for mediation around their work.
Of course, if a lot more people enjoyed the blessings of work, then they would have something to be thankful for. However, why do many people not have blessings in their work, but are full of dissatisfaction and accusations against others? Why do so many workers see themselves as victims of an unjust system? Did they say “YES” to God? Is it possible to say “YES” to God and blame others for their failures and frustrations, private and business ones?
What kind of God cannot answer the prayers of humble, honest and hardworking people? Or is there something wrong with many believing in God so they cannot receive the blessing? Did Jesus tell the truth when He promised that all who work for the kingdom of heaven on this earth will receive a hundredfold and then eternal life? Or do only a small number of those who call themselves believers believe the words of Jesus? What does the Scripture say about this?
Jesus taught the importance of perseverance in prayer, but according to His understanding and teaching, prayer meant following God’s calling, not enumerating like the Gentiles and expecting help. Jesus unequivocally gave us the answer that God protects those who have faith and trust in Him and that God shall “avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him,” but He also answered the question why so many prayers are left unanswered: “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:7-8).
So, many Christians enumerate, but do not listen and do not perform in humility, because they do not have faith in God. Prayer is not telling God what He should do for my kingdom, but listening to what I should do for the kingdom of heaven, believing that God knows best what is best for all. God hears every prayer, but helps only those endeavors that are His will. We are called to such faith! To listen and to act, not to make decisions and cry for help. Didn’t Jesus pray to the Father in the olive grove not to go to the cross, but in prayer he said “let it be yours, not my will“?
People without faith would say that Jesus “did the will of the Father and ended up on the cross with death.” The real answer is that after the cross He rose, freed souls from the underworld, redeemed the human race, gave hope to all, showed the way of salvation, founded a community of believers, gave Himself in the sacraments, returned to His glory and became forever victorious over death! When the name Jesus is mentioned, people see in that name what prevails in themselves, death or life. Many people start different ventures. It is necessary for the believer to always ask the question whether this is what I am initiating according to the will of God.
The answer to that question comes only through the prayer of listening and discernment. When a person constantly prays for enlightenment around making important and business decisions, he acquires the charism of wisdom by which he knows truth and reality in a superior way, compared to human wisdom which is the result of purely personal experiences. The Lord said, “The Holy Ghost will guide you into all truth.” The Rosary is a meditative-contemplative prayer in which we seek the help of our heavenly Mother to mediate some important things.
However, Mary is the bride of the Holy Spirit and the one to whom God does not want to say “NO”, because she said “YES” to God. One of the most wonderful ways to know the truth and will of the heavenly Father is to pray for Mary’s intercession in the knowledge of that will. Mary gives us the rosary so that we can reach God by the shortest path, and she will intercede, and we will know the truth. Believers who want to start a business can ask Mary to intercede for the enlightenment that God wants in specific circumstances.
That is why it is important during and after each rosary to allow God to manifest His will in the silence of our heart. When one sets out to do so, one will recognize the many fears and barriers that prevent one from hearing the Word for daily life. Thoughts that prevent us from approaching God in unrest are often barriers that we have set ourselves, and sometimes the thoughts we receive in perfect peace are images of what God is calling us to. How can man learn to discern what is from God?
Just as one learns to write on a computer or ride a bike – patiently and persistently. May is behind us, and the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is coming, but another important June date that will be celebrated in our nation in the future is – the apparition in Medjugorje. Many of our people pray the rosary and in their prayers they pray to Mary for God to do this or that. However, the real prayer of the rosary is to pray to Mary for enlightenment on what I need to do for God.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph performed earthly endeavors for God and the kingdom of heaven. The real question for anyone reading this article is: “What should I do for the kingdom of heaven?“ If we do so, God will make new ventures supreme, and some old ones that are not to His liking and that are obstacles will be torn down. One should not be afraid to lose one’s wretched kingdom in order to be accepted into the rich kingdom of heaven with a little patience and suffering, already here on earth.
One business saying goes, “There has never been a better time to start a new venture than this now, only if you know what you need to do.“ Mary and the rosary can give you the exact answer to what you need to do. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7).[1]
[1] The article was published with minor changes in: Veritas. Glasnik sv. Antuna Padovanskog. Croatian Province of St. Jerome of the Franciscan Conventuals. Zagreb. Sveti Duh 31. No. 5. May 2020. P. 34.