Sunday of the Announcement to the Virgin Mary Luke 1 / 26 – 38
“God is love and the one who loves does not remain rigid. Yes, they stand firm, but not rigid; they do not remain rigid in their own positions, but allow themselves to be moved and touched," – Pope Francis, Angelus remarks, August 20, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This Sunday, we read the beautiful account between the Archangel Gabriel and our Blessed Mother. The evangelist St. Luke in preparing this text in elegant Greek, must have interviewed our Lady to obtain this account, since she alone was present. St. Luke, with expert journalistic skill, arranged the story to follow directly after the account of Zechariah in the temple, which we celebrated last Sunday. This was done thoughtfully, under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The evangelist wished to contrast two remarkably similar events but were radically different in their essence.
Both Zechariah and Our Lady asked the archangel a question but from two vastly different positions. Zechariah’s question was due to his inability to believe that God would suspend the laws of nature (he and his wife were advanced in years) to bring about the birth of John the Baptist. Mary’s question was not rooted in disbelief in the power of God but was rooted in something much more mysterious. Our Lady did not doubt the power of God, nor was she ignorant of how children came to be. Her question, “How can this be, since I know not man” is extremely mysterious. She was betrothed to Joseph, and she could have naturally assumed that the conception of the Child would take place in a normal marital manner. However, her hesitancy reveals a very great mystery that is not revealed by St. Luke. We can only guess. Mary must have entered a contract with God earlier, vowing herself to a state of perpetual virginity.
This contract was entirely unheard of among the Hebrew women of her time, as every Israelite woman hoped to be the mother of the Messiah. Her contract, therefore, is even more mysterious.
Why did she enter this contract? Did she believe by doing this, she would by her sacrifice, compel God to send the Messiah to Israel? It is entirely possible that St. Joseph was aware of this contract, but because he was so besought with the Blessed Virgin, he happily accepted this arrangement in which his marriage to her would not be lived in the normal manner. Her question then, was radically different than Zechariah’s. She needed a clarification on her earlier commitment of perpetual virginity. Mary is the perfect disciple, ready at an instant, to change her plans to accept the Will of God. In doing so, God does not tear or destroy Mary’s commitment but marvellously magnifies it and makes it miraculously fruitful.
How easy it is, even for an exceptionally good purpose, to fall into a rigidity that does not recognize God’s will in a new reality. Being supple and youthful in our spiritual life means we are ready to yield to God’s plans and cheerfully accept His Will. An illness, an economic reversal, a big move to another city can really try us. We want everything to go back to way things were.
Prayer
In this period of preparation for the birth of Christ, let us ask the Blessed Virgin to obtain for us greater faith and happily pray: “Be it done according to Your Word.”
+ Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus