TUESDAY, DEC 12
Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“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.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“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, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
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.
Grace: I ask for the grace to know Jesus in a deeper way that I may abundantly love and follow him.
Perhaps I have forgotten what it is like to be youthful; to live in the realm of the present moment, hour or day, and to know for certain that life unfolds in the now. How is it that the whole of desire emanating from the heavenly realm descends upon one so young in the town of Nazareth, as if eternity is holding its breath? We find in this particular place salvation history’s matrix for its genesis. I take time to savor the great pronouncement that has been visited upon this young, immaculate woman called Mary: “. . . you have found favor with God . . . . you will conceive in your womb . . . bear a son . . . name him Jesus. . . . He will be great . . . Son of the Most High. . . .” I hear the youthful response of Mary and see her eyes looking down with modesty as she affirms her feminine dignity: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” I notice the present tense—the “now” of the usual and essential means which is missing. I reflect on how the incalculably vast and wondrous mystery of this proposition is distilled by Mary to what is most fundamental and natural. I ponder what dynamic is at work here. Do I recognize it? What do I intuit rising out of my heart? The other-worldly shimmering light of “naiveté.” ever so slowly emerges. I consider if naiveté is opposed to wisdom, or if it is a type of wisdom. Does it learn to patiently wait in the territory of the soul? Why is it belittled in our society? How does it offend? Perhaps it exposes the cynicism of age and the Ages. But in Mary’s quiet moment with God’s messenger, she hears her personal meaning in Gabriel’s greeting. She becomes conscious of her life’s purpose to be attained through supernatural means. Lastly she receives confirmation of God’s will coming to light through the miraculous news of Cousin Elizabeth also being with child. Then I hear the great exhale of Mary’s “yes.”
For Reflection and Prayer:
Am I Gabriel, God’s messenger, communicating God’s word to Mary?
Am I Mary standing before God’s messenger receiving greater understanding of who I am?
How is God inviting me to savor the present moment this Advent?
You may wish to close this time with this poem, “Annunciation: The Words of the Angel,” by Rainer Maria Rilke.
The Contributor:
Laila Arias is a spiritual director. She received her formation through St. Peter Upon the Water, and was formed in guiding the Spiritual Exercises through the Magis Program S.A. Praying the Exercises has been transformative for Laila, increasing her capacity to live her God-given purpose and capacity to love.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.