December 20/Third Saturday of Advent
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ~ Luke 1.29
On a recent visit to the Prado, I was struck anew by the renderings of the Annunciation through the centuries. Regal in demeanor and dress, Mary is almost invariably portrayed as serene, peaceful, and possessed of an otherworldly calm as she faces the unannounced visitor, Gabriel. Yet Luke tells us she is greatly troubled, using a participle, dietarachthe, that means “shaken together, stirred up.” If Mary is stirred by Gabriel’s opening words, she is shaken to the core by the rest of his message. “How can this be?” she asks the angel. A peasant woman of no means or social standing (who certainly would not have been regal in her dress!), Mary reacts fearfully to the stranger’s cryptic greeting. What she is being asked to do lies well outside the realm of expectations for how her life would unfold. We, too, may be apprehensive about our ability to succeed at what God asks us to do. We, too, may struggle to understand what it all means. And we, too, may echo Mary’s anxious question: “How can this be?” Faced with a life-altering diagnosis, a family conflict that splinters established relationships, a job change that stresses us, we are shaken and fearful. In Mary’s case, the plan that God had for her must have seemed outlandish, outrageous, and impossible to understand, let alone accomplish. But responding to Gabriel’s assurance that “nothing will be impossible for God,” she accepts the charge. Mary’s trusting committal of her life into the hands of God is a worthy – if challenging – model for us. Like her, though we may be troubled or uncertain, we are called to offer our own “fiat” to God, placing ourselves in his hands and letting it be done to us, as to Mary, according to his word.
O Lord of love and life, keep us open to your word, however it appears, and give us the grace to accept your word and to do your work. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122025.cfm
To hear Chanticleer sing “Ave Maria (Angelus Domini)” by Franz Biebl, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rb8C8wBZ98&list=RD0Rb8C8wBZ98&start_radio=1
