Advent 2021: Responding to God’s Call and Growing in Community
“Let Mary’s soul be in each of you to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Let her spirit be in each to rejoice in the Lord” (Saint Ambrose of Milan).
Soon after Mary conceived Jesus, St. Luke tells us, she visited her cousin Elizabeth, whom the archangel Gabriel told her was also miraculously pregnant (with St. John the Baptist). Mary traveled there “in haste”—perhaps longing for female friendship and support from another woman experiencing a surprise pregnancy.
Was she afraid of how her cousin would react? We don’t know, but we do know that when Elizabeth saw Mary, her son “leaped in her womb,” and “Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,” gave Mary just the greeting she may have needed—joy, wonder, and love. Mary then responded with the Magnificat, a prayer of thanksgiving and praise for the God who does great things for us.
As Catholic women in business, we may not be the mothers of God (not all of us are physical mothers). We may not feel the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as fully or obviously as Elizabeth did (although we might!). We may not live in the time of Christ, but we were created exactly for the time we are living in (Esther 4:14). Whether our workplace is secular, religious, or online, we have the opportunity to bring the message of Jesus—of love, of hope—to every person we interact with. And, as a community of Catholic women, we have the opportunity to bring to each other the joy and support that Elizabeth and Mary gave each other.
This Advent, the Catholic Women in Business team invites you to pray about how you are called to share Jesus with the women in your life. Our writing team will be exploring this theme and the Visitation throughout December.
How are you called to share the hope of the Advent season with the people you see throughout your work day? What is the Holy Spirit stirring in your heart?
How will you respond to God’s call?
Taryn Oesch DeLong is a wife and mother in Raleigh, NC. In between changing diapers, reading stories, and singing lullabies, she is also a freelance editor and writer. Passionate about supporting women in work, in life, and in health, she is the managing editor of Catholic Women in Business; a contributor at Natural Womanhood, CatholicMom.com, and Live Today Well Co.; and a fertility awareness advocate and FEMM instructor. In her free time, Taryn enjoys relaxing with a cup of Earl Grey and a Jane Austen novel. She also volunteers with the pro-life ministry at her parish and plays the piano and the flute. Taryn’s favorite saints are Sts. Joseph, Zélie, Thérèse, and Teresa of Calcutta. Follow Taryn on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or read her blog, Everyday Roses.