The setting is a small town in the Deep South. Atticus Finch, a lawyer by profession and a widower, lives with his two young children: a son, Jem, who is in the fifth grade and a daughter, Scout, who is in first grade. Though he is strict, he is good to them and they love him. An upright man and an excellent lawyer, Atticus has become unpopular by agreeing to defend a black man who has been charged with a serious crime. Although the man is innocent, he stands little chance of getting a fair trial for many in the town are very prejudiced.
At the end of the street there lives a cranky elderly woman who is always giving Jem and Scout a bad time whenever they pass her house. What hurts the kids most of all are the names she calls their father because he is defending the black man.
One evening, Jem decides he has had enough from her. He hops over her fence and destroys some of her flowers, including her prized camellias. He then runs home. When Atticus comes home, he shows his son some camellia buds and asked, “Jem, are you responsible for this?” After admitting to the act, his father said, “Son, you shouldn’t have done that.”
Jem protests that the old lady never has anything nice to say. “You should hear the things she says about you. I really did it because of you.” Atticus then tells Jem, “To do something like this to a sick old lady is inexcusable. Now go and apologize to her for what you did.”
Reluctantly he does. The woman asks Jem if he would agree to come and read to her for two hours each day for a month. Jem is horrified, but his father insists that he must do what she is asking of him. So each evening after dinner, Jem and Scout visit the old lady and read to her. They both hate it for she remains as cranky as ever and continues to insult their father.
Each evening after they had read for an hour, the old woman would start to tremble violently. The housekeeper would then tell them to leave so that the old lady could take her medicine. As the weeks go by, the fits become less frequent and less severe. When the month is up, Jem wants to quit but his father said, “Just one more week, son.” That week, he notices she had no more fits but she was just as cantankerous as ever.
One evening, Atticus comes home and tells Jem and Scout that the old lady had just died. He then tells them something which changed their whole attitude toward her. He told them that she was addicted to pain killers and was determined to kick the habit before she died. Those fits which Jem and Scout had seen were withdrawal symptoms of her drug addiction. “Did she succeed?” they asked. “She did,” Atticus replied. “And just before she died, she told me that she would never have succeeded if you hadn’t come and read to her. She wanted me to thank you with this gift.”
Jem and Scout were flabbergasted to discover a beautiful, white, waxy, perfect camellia in the box. “Why can’t she leave me alone?” Jem screamed. Hugging him, Atticus said, “I think that is her way of telling you that everything’s all right now.” Those two children didn’t realize the full significance of the task their father had asked them to do, yet they obeyed him in a spirit of love. That scene, by the way, comes from a modern classic published 50 years ago, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
In the gospel, we see how Mary also consented to what was being asked of her: to become the mother of our redeemer. She was willing to the will of God despite the risk involved. When she said, “Yes,” I imagine Mary had little idea of what she was in for. Despite the pains she later experienced, she never waivered from doing God’s will. In good times and bad, she relied on God, who in turn enabled her to remain faithful. Without that initial consent, given at the annunciation, we wouldn’t likely be here today.
Each of us said yes many times over when we have undertaken commitments and responsibilities at our baptisms, our weddings, the day we were hired, along with countless other promises we have made. And when we did, we did not always know what was in store for us. Like Mary, we have to affirm our “yeses” many times over and as we do, we sometimes need to ask God to help us remain faithful to the commitments we have made.
Sometimes we cannot see the full meaning of what we are asked to do by God or someone else. As it was for Jem and Scout, fulfilling the commitment at hand may be challenging, especially if the task is unpleasant or if we are left feeling that no one appreciates what is being done. Like Mary, we have to go on confirming our consent in a spirit of loving obedience to God’s will.
This last week of Advent can be wonder days for families. There will be work and stress ahead but look for the possibilities for love and joy: decorating the home, shopping for a special present for someone you love, baking cookies, caroling, sending cards, taking time to reflect on the mystery we will soon celebrate or to ask God for the grace to handle all that needs to be done without feeling helpless. When we feel helpless, we feel the need to have control over what is going on in our lives and when we can’t, we might turn to abusive power. Not only does that hurt our relationships but it also contradicts the meaning of Christmas.
Like Mary, we are the living temple of God’s presence. What we say and do when done out of love goes far in making God’s presence felt by those around us. There is a reason to hold a loved one closer, to hug our children, to dress the season with hope, warmth, and holy splendor. When you go forth, make this last week of Advent a good and loving week so that you can make this a Christmas your family can long remember with joy.