Let it be

Sorry, Mariah, you are not the Queen of Christmas. Another Mary is. Sometimes she’s also called Queen of Heaven.

There also is a King of Christmas, who is also called King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His is the coming we celebrate at Christmas.

I’m not sure why I’m so focused on Mary this Advent. Maybe she’s popping up more than usual in my daily reading.

The other day I read an essay in the American Century by Katie Kirk, who noted that when Mary gave her assent to the angel’s proclamation, she essentially said, “Let it be so,” or simply, “Let it be.”

Of course, that got me to thinking about the Beatles song “Let It Be.” Though it doesn’t have an explicitly Christian message, songwriter Paul McCartney has said he’s not opposed to reading something religious into it.

In times of trouble, the song says, “Mother Mary comes to me.”

That’s his own mother Mary, not the Blessed Virgin, McCartney has explained. But the song sure works if you hear it thinking that Mary of Nazareth is the one who is “speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”

Some critics think the phrase “let it be” is fatalistic rather than faithful. I think that’s a real stretch.

To evoke a positive message with possible Christian overtones, a pop song surely does not have to spout Christian dogma word for word. Many popular hymns sung in church each week might flunk that awful test.

When the angel made his outrageous request, Mary faithfully said, “Let it be as you have said.”

Let it be so.

Let it be.

Sometimes we kill the simplest things with a thousand complications, a thousand tiny cuts.

Mary said, “Let it be.”

That was good enough.

This likely is my last blog posting before Christmas.

 May you have a merry – which is to say, a blessed – Christmas!