Tuesday, December 20, 2022

20 December 2022 - the lowly, lifted


“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

We know that Mary had a humble heart, and therefore might have been slow to recognize herself in the title "full of grace" given to her by the angel. Most people were not full of grace because of original sin. Mary was, having been immaculately conceived. But that is not to say she understood her condition as precisely as that. A holy heart was not given to comparison of merit with others. Did those around her seem to be troublingly given over to sin? She would not have imputed there motives if possible. It was possible for her to wonder if she was truly unique enough to addressed as full of grace, if this was not something common to many other faithful hearts in the world. Most of us are all to eager to believe that we are good or special at the expense of others. Mary, who was uniquely good, could only accept it slowly and upon reflection.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he (see Zechariah 9:9).

Mary was likely familiar with the Scriptures of her people and the prophecies they contained, particularly if she was in fact raised in the temple. The "Hail" of Gabriel would likely have reminded her of the oracle of Zechariah the prophet and of others. But in this sense too she was singled out. That oracle seemed to speak in some way to more than a single individual. How was a humble handmaid to stand in for daughter Zion?

Mary "pondered what sort of greeting this might be" but she did not laugh or express doubt. She may have experienced fear in the presence of the angel but if so it was a holy fear leading to attentiveness and then obedience. Her fear did not lead to ridicule, laughter, or denial, but rather caused her to ponder. She did put up walls of defense as we might have done, but took on instead a posture suited to receptivity.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.

The conception of Jesus was not to be a merely natural one, nor even a miraculous one like that of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Mary was already committed to having no relations with a man that could bring things about in that way. Familiar with the announcements of the miraculous births of many Old Testament heroes and the similarity of these words from Gabriel  Mary realized that her case could not be the same and so she asked for clarification.

“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”

Mary was not like Sarah or Elizabeth, a barren woman made fruitful. She was rather the one of whom Isaiah said, "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel." She did not presume to assert herself as the fulfillment of this prophecy. But with wonder did she accept herself to be so. Even for Mary, full of grace, with a mind not darkened by sin, it was a lot to take in, and had many implications which would take a lifetime and beyond to fully grasp. She knew that on her own none of this was possible, but was willing to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit in her to do accomplish what he himself desired.

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.

Just as the shekinah cloud settled upon the meeting tent and in the time of Moses, just as the glory of the Lord filled the temple in the time of Solomon, so too and more would the Holy Spirit come upon and overshadow Mary, revealing a new temple and a new fullness of the presence of God on earth in the form of the only-begotten Son. All of this was indeed a lot to take in for the most humble woman to ever live, but her faithful obedience did not waiver.

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.





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