Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will rein over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest will overshadow you, therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

- Luke 1:26-38

In yesterday's reading, we began at the beginning of Luke's gospel. It told the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. Both are of a priestly lineage, and we start when it is Zacharias' time for service in the temple. His lot is to light the incense. Many people were praying outside at the time of the incense. When Zacharias was at the altar, an angel stood next to him. Zacharias was troubled, and afraid. The angel told him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John." The angel said, "He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Zacharias replied to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time." The people outside waited for Zacharias, and when he finally came out of the temple he couldn't speak -- and all the people understood he had seen a vision. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. Elizabeth is now six months with child -- John the Baptist, her son, will be called the Forerunner, the one who comes announcing the good news of the Lord, and preparing the people for His coming. While Zacharias and Elizabeth were of priestly lineage, we read here that Joseph is of the house of David, a royal lineage.

The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Mary means, "exalted one." "Highly favored" can also be translated "full of grace." Mary's humility is evident in her response to such an extraordinary greeting of great praise.

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will rein over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." As Zacharias as prepared for the birth of John the Baptist, who will be "in the spirit and power of Elijah," so Mary is prepared for her Son. This is, indeed, an extraordinary description. Again, the angel says to Mary, as was said to Zacharias, "Do not be afraid."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" Luke's emphasis is very clear, elaborated, and precise. Twice we have been told she is a virgin, and here she asks distinctly the question that must be asked!

And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest will overshadow you, therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." My study bible points out that here, again, we have a repetition for emphasis: Holy Spirit and the power of the Highest are synonymous. The Son of God indicates a divine title for this child. What becomes clear in this verse is a blending of the divine and the human, beautifully composed here by the evangelist, in the poetry of the gospel. The child will be born through the interaction of the divine and human. Hidden here in this verse is also the power of the Trinity: The Holy Spirit, the Son of God, and the Highest (God the Father). While the message is clear, we don't know exactly how this happens, just the mystery of this intersection of both. The way the description reads, that the Holy Spirit will come upon her and the power of the Highest will overshadow her, reminds me of Moses being overshadowed by the cloud on Mt. Sinai.

Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." Again, we have emphasis. Mary is told that barren Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age -- the power of God is at work in the lives of human beings, great things are happening. "For with God nothing will be impossible." In yesterday's reading, Gabriel chastised Zacharias for his failure to receive the grace given him, the good news. He said, "You did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time." Here we have a future tense again, a sense of events that are about to begin and will be continually unfolding: "For with God nothing will be impossible." There in these words is the implication of faith, and patience, and abiding, as things will be fulfilled in their own time, and with God nothing will be impossible.

Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. Mary's response once again exemplifies her humility before God; she accepts the grace that has come to her. My study bible points out that Mary is honored not only because she was chosen by God to bear the Son, but also because she herself responded to grace with faith. Without such response with faith, this story could not unfold as it has. We have both the interaction of the divine and human at work, and for this reason, Mary is honored among human beings. My study bible says, "The Incarnation of the Son of God is not only the work of the Trinity, but also the work of the will and the faith of the Virgin."

Let us consider Mary's faithful response, and ponder what it is to be offered such grace. Human beings must accept. The contrast in both stories of Zacharias and Mary give us this truth. We form a synergy in faith, an active working hand in hand with God, with the divine. Grace also asks of us our "yes" to its working in us and through us. We must accept. Let Mary be the model, then, for all of us. She is the human being who accepted, with grace, with humility, with faith, the great mystery of what she is called into here. One cannot imagine the pain of what she will go through as the events of Jesus' life and Passion unfold, nor the extraordinary and overwhelming joy she will find in her Son. Let us remember her love, inseparable from her faith. We, the faithful, also share in that love, that she bore first, and for all of us. Without her yes, we don't know what would have happened. With Mary, let us accept that "with God, nothing will be impossible." She is our shining and stunning example of a human being receiving grace with faith: "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." She echoes the words of the Old Testament figures, "Here I am, Lord!"