A Reading:
Luke 1:26-38 (NASB)
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
32 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."
34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
35 The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
36 "And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.
37 "For nothing will be impossible with God."
38 And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
An Advent Meditation:
The story of Christ’s birth is centered around a young virgin who is engaged to a man named Joseph. The angel comes and states, “you are highly favored…the Lord is with you”. Put yourself in Mary’s place. Right now…at whatever age you are…go back to when you were 16, especially if you are a girl, imagine the thought of Angel saying these words… “you are highly favored, the Lord is with you…You will be with child and give birth to a son…” I can’t imagine what raced through Mary’s mind that day of God’s visitation. I can’t imagine the conflicts within her as she wrestled with the implications of it all.
“What will I tell my parents?”
“What will I tell Joseph?”
“What will people believe about me?”
Her mind is racing, “How can this be?” It is beyond all comprehension.
What I love in this story is the authenticity of her humanness in vs. 29, “Mary was greatly troubled at his words…” Mary now is in good company. When Isaiah came into the temple after the death of King Uzziah the glory of God broke through the temporal veil of human sight and all around were seraphim and cherubim and God’s glory, and Isaiah was troubled – so much so he fell on his face and proclaimed himself unclean (Isa. 6). When Moses came to the Sinai mountain to receive the law from God, he and all Israel backed away when the glory of God descended and they “were afraid to come near” (Ex. 34).
I fear we have lost that sense of the fear of the Lord…that sense of being troubled with who we are in the presence of God. Arrogance and lack of humility leads anyone to presume upon the grace of God; but humility and a sense of grace leads to a thoughtful response. Mary is sobered by all of this…the words weigh heavy upon her and she makes a decisive step of obedience: “I am the Lord’s servant...May it be to me as you have said,”
We should be troubled by God in good ways, but we also need to hear his voice: “Do not be afraid, I bring you great tidings of joy” …don’t fear, be released from that and live in freedom of love.
In your time of reflection and prayer:
1. Lord, do I have a proper fear of you? Holy Spirit, please reveal to me any sins that I may not have confessed to you and help me to receive the grace you offer in forgiveness.
2. Mary is a picture of someone who God asks to humbly serve even though there would be repercussions. Where is God asking you to humbly serve him?
An Advent Quote to Meditate on:
“St. Thomas says somewhere, ’Deprive a man of spiritual joys and he will seek to compensate with sensual pleasures. Only, no amount of sensual pleasure will ever compensate for the lack of spiritual joy.’ Hope is a spiritual joy and so many people are starved for the spiritual joy of hope. So many people are seeking to compensate for this lack of hope by chasing whatever pleasure they think can be wrested from the moment and so are moving deeper into hopelessness and spiritual emptiness…The message of Advent is a message of hope. The time of the Messiah has come…The savior is here. There is healing for us, the power of a new life for us in the meeting with the One who has been crucified and raised and who sends His spirit. The evidence is everywhere. See how people are being healed. See how enemies are being reconciled. See how the poor are being lifted up by charity and by participating in the dignity and joy of the celebration of the goodness and power of the savior…Don’t give in to the contagious hopelessness of this age. Remember what God has done for you. It is just a preview. Don’t be caught napping.”
In this Advent, what can you look back on in your life and NOW say, “Thank You Lord, for even though this was hard, I am now a much better person because of it”?
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