Ifs and Buts

There’s a saying: “If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.” Well, I don’t know about that—candy and nuts get caught in my teeth. As for those ifs and buts, they too can get in the way.

Where Christmas is concerned, imagine if Mary the Blessed Virgin said “what if” or “yes, but” in her response to the Archangel at the Annunciation. There were no preconditions in Mary’s yes. Mary gave her entire self to God for our Lord to enter the world to save us.

In all humility, our Savior offers his entire self to humanity, first coming as an infant—to grow and live among us. Then by his sacrifice, he comes to us in the Holy Eucharist. What do we offer in return? Does our offering come with ifs and buts?

Love of God

If our love for God has preconditions, we prevent ourselves from loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul. We also prevent ourselves from seeing God’s presence in our lives. God’s love comes to us in ways we may not expect.

Consider the Nativity of Jesus Christ—born in a stable with a manger for his bed. On the night of Jesus’ birth, there were no ifs or buts to stop the shepherds from heeding the Angel’s call to see the Holy Infant. When the shepherds came to the stable, they did not walk away disappointed. They praised God.

Do our preconditions create expectations that prevent us from having full faith in what God wants us to believe? According to St. John Paul II, we are asked to believe that the same Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, becomes present in his full humanity and divinity under the sign of bread and wine.

The greatness of God’s love comes to us to save us for eternal life. Do we see God’s love in the birth of Jesus Christ and in the Holy Eucharist? The Incarnation—when the Word became flesh—was the culmination of God’s plan to be present to humanity. Our Lord continues to be present in the Eucharist in all the Tabernacles of the world.

State of Grace

Our Lord’s loving presence is meant to be in each and every one of us. Jesus Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity come to us in the Blessed Sacrament. For this communion, we are called to maintain a life of grace.

Mary is our model. Yes, chosen by God, Mary was born without sin, and full of grace. However, Mary was all human with the free will to choose. Mary chose to practice the virtues of faith, hope, and love. Our Lady was completely open to our Lord.

Are we completely open or do those ifs and buts get in the way? Let us replace those ifs and buts with the sanctifying grace our Lord has to give us. To receive our Lord, let us be willing to accept all that He offers.

Remember, when we receive the Eucharist, we express our love for our Lord. For the gift of the Holy Eucharist, we give the gift of ourselves. In this way we have communion with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. No ifs and buts about it; in the Holy Eucharist we receive the greatest love we will ever experience with God’s grace. Amen!