WILL WE TAKE THE TIME TO QUIET OURSELVES BEFORE GOD AS MARY DID?
(A biblical reflection on THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, 21 December 2014)
Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Psalms: Psalm 89:2-5,27,29; Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27
The Scripture Text
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38 RSV)
At the moment of creation, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2). At the moment of the incarnation, the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and “the power of the Most High” overshadowed her (Luke 1:35). The longing of every human heart was answered as the virgin gave her consent to the angel’s words: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). At long last, God was to dwell among us.
King David once thought that human hands could build a house for God (2 Samuel 7:1-5), and God used this noble but misguided intention to deliver a double-edged lesson. First, He “rejected” David’s offer, maintaining His sovereignty in determining how He would rule Israel. Yet He also rewarded David’s gesture with a wonderful promise: “I will establish your descendants forever and build your throne for all generations” (Psalm 89:4). God’s word was fulfilled in part when Solomon built David’s temple and the glory of the Lord filled it (1 Kings 8:10-11). But the complete fulfillment came when Emmanuel (God with us) entered the world through Mary.
Mary was uniquely chosen to become the “handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38), and the angel rightly greeted her as kecharitomene – the favoured one full of grace (Luke 1:28). We can share in that grace as we open our hearts to the Lord, confess our sins, and ask the Holy Spirit to bring the Gospel to life within us.
There is so much to ponder during this season of grace, so many wonderful dimensions of the mystery of God’s love for us. Yet the wonder of the incarnation comes to us in the midst of busy preparations: travelling, shopping, wrapping, cooking. Will we take the time to quiet ourselves before God as Mary did?
Let us be generous receivers of God’s grace over these next few days. It may seem difficult, even beyond our powers, but with the Lord, “nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). He is the “only wise God” who “is able to strengthen you according to … the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages, but is now disclosed” (Romans 16:25-27). The mystery is that nothing, not even sin, can separate us from the love of God which became flesh in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, by Your Holy Spirit make me willing and able to quiet myself before You as Mary did. Open my heart to Your grace, so that through the angel’s message to Mary I can learn to believe in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Your only begotten Son. Lead me to be a faithful disciple of Christ, by always saying “yes” to Your will. Amen.