4th Sunday of Advent, Year B
Luke 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.
Gospel Reflection
Since the early centuries, the angel’s greeting to Mary has inspired Christian artists. It is a figurative theme present in every church. Fra Angelico’s annunciation is all grace and sweetness. That of Simone Martini is famous, with the angel Gabriel, incorporeal creature that almost dissolves in the light of the golden background, while Mary, upset, withdraws without losing the serenity of her beautiful face. The sensations aroused by these masterpieces are lovely and the emotions felt reading the gospel pages are intense. However, after an initial approach to the sublime mystery of the Incarnation of God’s Son, it is necessary to search for the message that the evangelist intended to communicate. One must separate Luke’s account from the apocryphal gospels wherein many legendary traits appeared. From the fifth century the artists reproduced them in their paintings. Then the literary genre of the passage is exactly defined highlighting the fact that it has nothing in common with fairy tales.
We start from an observation: it is not the first time in the Bible that an extraordinary birth of a child is announced. If these annunciations are compared, one notes that the characters called to serve an extraordinary mission are often born abnormally. Isaac was conceived when his mother, Sarah, barren, was ninety years old and his father, Abraham, a hundred (Gen 17:17); the mother of Samson (Jdg 13:3) and Samuel (1 S 1:5) are sterile; the parents of John the Baptist are old and Elizabeth was barren. It is not surprising that, in the apocryphal gospels, the birth of Mary is presented according to the same pattern: Anne and Joachim are old and the mother is infertile. Even the birth of Jesus takes place in an extraordinary way: Mary is a virgin and had no relations with her husband.
The Bible emphasizes the prodigious component of these births to show that they are not the result of natural human fecundity, but a gift from heaven. Salvation, liberation or hope that these characters are meant to introduce in the world come from God.
If to these announcements of extraordinary births we also add the callings of Moses (Ex 3:2-12) and Gideon (Jdg 6:12-22), we verify another significant fact: all these stories are structured in the same way. They are following the same pattern and contain the same elements. They, in fact, are similar, like bricks coming out from the same mold. First, the angel of the Lord is introduced into the scene; then the one who receives God’s message is seized by fear; the angel announces the birth of a child, indicating the name and his destined specific mission; a difficulty or an objection is raised to which the angel responds by giving a sign that is timely realized.
The Annunciation to Mary follows this scheme in every detail. Therefore it is difficult to determine which are, in the story, the real historical data and what are the elements that depend on literary artifice. The facts may exactly be reported as they were referred to. If so, the evangelist could not narrate them in a different way; but even if the Annunciation of Mary had been an inner mystical experience, the story would have been the same. To be understood by his readers, Luke had to follow the established pattern imposed by the Bible.
What we can say, without a shade of doubt, is that Luke did not intend to draw up a cold report of what happened. Unlike the artists who seem to direct the attention on Mary and on the heavenly messenger, Luke wanted the gaze focused on the son of Mary. To know who Jesus is interests the believers more than the inner emotions of the Virgin.
With these caveats, we come to the message.
The solemn oracle uttered by Nathan has profoundly marked the history and spirituality of Israel. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Zechariah referred to this, in the darkest moments. Even more surprising—when the Davidic dynasty had disappeared, Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple razed—a psalmist presented again to the people God’s promise: “I have sworn to David my servant … his dynasty will last forever, and his throne endure as the sun before me. It will shine forever like the moon, the unfailing watch of heavens” (Ps 89:4, 37-38).
In an irreparably compromised situation, how could one believe that the Lord would not have lied? Yet the psalmist was convinced that, if God had shown capable to make Sarah fruitful, he would certainly be able to have the promised Messiah born in the sterile womb of a virgin Israel.
But here’s the surprise: while the eyes of those who awaited the saving intervention of God were facing Jerusalem, God set his eyes on a tiny village lost in the mountains of Galilee. It is so insignificant that it is not even mentioned in the Old Testament. It was inhabited by simple people with little education and even considered unclean because they lived in contact with pagans. To Philip, who enthusiastically declared his admiration for Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael mockingly replied: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46).
The surprises are not over. To whom does God turn? Whom does he choose? Not a valiant liberator like Gideon, not a hero like Samson or a powerful ruler as Solomon, but a woman, a virgin.
Virginity for us is a sign of dignity and a great honor. In Israel it was appreciated before marriage, not after. For a girl it was a disgrace to remain a virgin throughout her life. She was judged unable to draw to herself the eyes of a man. The childless woman was a dead tree that bore no fruits. A derogatory connotation is tied to the word virgin. In the most dramatic moments of its history, Jerusalem defeated, humiliated, destroyed and hopeless, is called virgin Zion (Jer 31:4; 14:13), because in her life was interrupted; she was unable to generate.
Mary is a virgin not only from the biological point of view, as the Church has always believed, but also in the biblical sense. She is poor and is conscious of it. She finds herself in the condition of the woman who may just be “filled with grace” from God. We do not celebrate her moral integrity in the Annunciation. No one doubts of this, but we contemplate the “great things” that God who is “powerful” and “holy is his name” has done in her.
Those who consider the wonders done by the Lord in “his servant” can no longer fall for her own unworthiness, because she understands that all are destined to become, in the hands of God, the masterpieces of his grace.
Luke is the evangelist of the poor in whom he wants to infuse joy and hope. Therefore, from the very first page of his Gospel, he emphasizes the preferences of God for the last ones, for those who count for nothing, for all that is despised by people. Making fruitful the desert-like womb of the virgin Zion and of Mary, he showed that there is no condition of death that the Lord does not know how to recover life. Even the hearts dry as the desert sands he will transform into lush gardens, irrigated by the water of his Spirit, the gardens will become forests (Is 32:15).
At this point we are able to grasp the central message of the passage.
Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you (v. 28). These are the words the heavenly messenger addressed to Mary. He did not improvise it on his arrival at Nazareth, nor was it taught him in heaven, before departure. This greeting was well known to Mary because the prophets had already addressed it to the Virgin Zion. Zephaniah was the first to formulate it, in a time of people’s moral decadence. Outraged by the existing corruption, he pronounced terrible oracles of condemnation against foreign nations and against the holy city, which has become “rebellious, polluted, arrogant” (Zep 3:1). Then came the surprise. One day he changed his tone, and from threats of punishment, he goes to the sweet language, to consoling words: “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem! … do not be afraid ” (Zep 3:14-18; Zec 9:9).
Why this sudden change? Was the city probably converted? Not at all, only a small remnant, a humble and lowly people had turned to the Lord and began to confide in him. The majority had continued to be away from God. If she was limited to considering her own sin, Zion would have had every reason to lose heart and wait for the fall. But Zephaniah invited her to look up and contemplate the love of her God. This is the reason of the exultation: “The Lord is with you, mighty savior.”
Putting on the angel’s mouth the invitation to rejoice, Luke identifies Mary with the Virgin Zion who rejoices because the Lord is present in her.
If we scroll down the Bible, we see that when God speaks to someone, usually he calls him by name. In our story the name of Mary is replaced by an epithet: loved by God. If God changes the name, it means that he destines her to a particular mission. Abram became Abraham because he had become the father of many nations (Gen 17:5) and Sarai was called Sara, princess, because she is destined to be the mother of kings (Gen 17:15).
So what is the mission entrusted to “Loved by God”? That of proclaiming to the world what the Lord has done in the poor who rely on his love.
After the greeting, the angel announced to Mary the birth of a child to whom the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his reign shall have no end (vv. 32-33).
These words were not invented by Luke. They can be found, almost identical, on the mouth of Nathan (2 S 7:12-17). Placing them on the lips of the angel, the evangelist declares that the prophecy made to David was accomplished in the son of Mary: Jesus is the long-awaited messiah destined to rule forever.
In the words of the heavenly messenger, the theme of little ones, made great by the benevolence of God, is taken up again. David was a shepherd, the youngest of his brothers. God took him from the pasture where he kept the flock and made him a glorious king. Now the Lord starts from a situation of poverty: the family of David is fallen, the kingdom is destroyed, but the “Powerful” intervenes, takes a bud, a son of David and consigned to him a kingdom that will not end.
It is an invitation not to be seduced by other messiahs, not to expect other saviors because no one can ever replace Jesus. Many will come after him and will introduce themselves saying, “I am the Messiah!” (Mt 24:4) and “perform signs and wonders so great that they would deceive even God’s chosen people” (Mt 24:24). They will have a momentary success, but—ensures the Evangelist—an eternal kingdom was promised only to Jesus.
To the objection of Mary, the angel answers: The power of the Most High will overshadow you (v. 35). In the Old Testament the shadow and the cloud are signs of God’s presence. During the exodus, God preceded his people in a pillar of cloud (Ex 13:21); a cloud covered the tent where Moses went to meet God (Ex 40:34-35), and when the Lord came down on Mount Sinai to speak with Moses, the mountain was covered with a thick cloud (Ex 19:16).
Stating that the shadow of the Almighty has rested on Mary, Luke says that God renders himself present in her. We are faced with this evangelist’s profession of faith in the divinity of Mary’s son.
The last words of the angel are: With God nothing is impossible (v. 37). These are the same words that the Lord spoke to Abraham when he announced the birth of Isaac (Gen 18:14). They are a statement often recalled and fondly repeated, especially to those who feel themselves too poor, too unworthy and think that for them there is no more hope of recovery and salvation: “With God nothing is impossible.”
I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said (v. 38). It is Mary’s response to God’s call.
Many paintings show evidence of surprise in the face of the Virgin and, at times, almost her dismay. However, the acceptance of God’s will always follows.
Let it be done, however, does not mean a resigned acquiescence. The greek word genoito is an optative and expresses a joyful desire of Mary, an anxiety to see the Lord’s plan realized in her.
Where God comes, there also joy always comes. The story begins with the “Rejoice,” and ends with the joyful cry of the Virgin.
No one had understood God’s plan. David, Nathan, Solomon, the kings of Israel had not understood it. All had put their dreams in opposition to God and expected from him only the help to achieve them. Mary does not behave like them; she does not put her plan in opposition to God. She only asks what is the role God intends to entrust to her and joyously welcomes his initiative.
by Fr. Fernando Armellini
https://sundaycommentaries.wordpress.com
The ‘Yes’ of Mary, Mother of Joy
By Mgr Francesco Follo
1) The time of the “Yes”
During the previous Sundays the Liturgy has drawn attention to the figure of John the Baptist, the Precursor. Today it is Mary, His Mother that He gave also to us, that is offered as the example of the waiting for Christ to welcome into our lives and in our flesh.
Hence, it is important to grasp the behavior of the Virgin towards the One who comes to take home in us, who became flesh to save our flesh so the we may “conceive” the Word of God concretely. With her “fiat” (yes), Mary conceived Jesus under her heart. With our fiat we conceive Him in our hearts. Mary teaches us to say the great word “Yes, fiat, O Lord, thy will be done.”
The “yes”, the “fiat” of the Virgin Mary was not pronounced by a heart dull or sleepy, but by one tense and watchful. Even if uttered by a humble young woman, this spousal “yes” is the expression of a simple and profound heart. Mary is the Mother of God not only because she gave physical life to Jesus, but also because before conceiving Him in her womb, she listened to Him with the ear and conceived Him in the heart. She is the mother because she listens and welcomes the Son and let Him live like He is, not just because she brings Him in her lap and gives Him birth.
The “yes” of Mary was the expression of the freedom of this pure Virgin, fruitful and conscious of belonging to a history, a great history, that was bringing God into the world. A fact is historical not only because it occurs in time, but also because it occurs in a place.
The time is indicated as follows, “It was the sixth month from the conception of St. John the Baptist by Elizabeth.” It is the episode preceding the one mentioned in the today’s Gospel. Now, a six-month-old is not complete. John the Baptist represents the Old Testament and the promise. It is important to take note that the Annunciation fulfills the promise ahead of time.
When does the fulfillment happens? At the sixth month, namely when the promise is not yet mature. That, in my opinion means that the realization of a promise depends not only from God. God has made the promise, He could fulfill it immediately, He does it at the sixth month, He only waits for someone to say “yes, let it be to me as you have said, I welcome the Word.”
In short, God has been forever “Yes” to the man. When finally we also say yes as Mary did, then the fullfilment takes place. We become mature and complete people when we say yes to God. Do not wait for tomorrow to say “Yes”. Normally we think of tomorrow, waiting for better times. No. The only time we have is the present. This is the only time when we touch the eternal: the past is gone, the future is not yet here. What we are living is the time of listening. We must not look for a better one, otherwise we spend half of our life thinking about the future and the other half regretting the past, and we never live. God is “present” and his proposal is done “now.” It was not yesterday, it was not for tomorrow, it is for today. In the Gospel of Luke we remember the first words of Jesus: “Today this word is fulfilled.”
2) The place and the characters of Yes.
In this day of the Yes, it is important to understand also the place where it was pronounced, the location that the Evangelist Luke presents in deliberate contrast to the previous narration of John the Baptist. The announcement of the birth of John the Baptist takes place in the Temple of Jerusalem, is made to a priest who is carrying out his duties and takes place, so to speak, officially, as required by law, in accordance with the cult, the place and Jewish rites.
The announcement of the birth of the Messiah is made to Mary, a woman who lives in Nazareth, a small, insignificant country village of semi-pagan Galileans. Nazareth for us today means: the place of everyday life. It is to teach us that the Word is the place where we live every day. It is in our daily lives that we can and must live as children of God and listen to the Word. Then it will be helpful to go in shrines, basilicas and in the places where we can be with many others, because these places call us to a life of communion in the Church. But the important thing is the “here and now”: the present and the place of everyday life. It is there that every day the Word is made flesh in the same that in the everyday life of Mary, who has become the “place” of welcome, the new life begins. This life began not in the temple but in simple humanity of Jesus Christ, who became the true temple, the tent of meeting.
After having considered the “place” where God has revealed his love, the simple house of the humble Mary, let’s look at the characters of this announcement. Let’s start with the angel Gabriel, whose name means “power of God”, who addresses Mary that with her “yes” will bear fruit by the power of God’s grace.
The Angel’s greeting to Mary is “Rejoice, full of grace,” that we might paraphrase “Be joyful, you who are freely and forever beloved by God.” Our Lady is called to a mission, but first is invited to joy, every anguish is cancelled because the Lord “is with her” to save her and the entire humanity.
Let’s fix our eyes on the heart of Mary, who calls herself “servant” and that the Angel of God defines full of grace. Grace and service: in these two terms is enclosed all the Christian understanding of existence. The gift received continues to become a gift.
Mary remains troubled by the angel’s words. However, her confusion is not derived from misunderstanding or from fear. It comes from the emotion produced by the encounter with God who through the Angel tells her that, “free to be loved by God” is her new name.
When God calls someone to make him an instrument of salvation, he not only calls him by name, but gives him a new name, really capable of expressing his identity and his vocation. For Mary the new name is “full of grace” that is “free and forever loved by God.” This new name of Mary speaks immediately of the gratuitousness and faithfulness of God, the root of all correct understanding of God, man and the world. Of this root Mary is the luminous and transparent icon. And this is already the happy news of the miracle of Christmas, which is now imminent.
“To accept and to welcome the miracle of Christmas, is to accept that Mary is truly the ‘Mother of God’ and the ‘Virgin Mother’.” This is not against sexuality and human love. The meaning is another. We know very well that the life we give is a life toward death. God’s intervention was needed. It was necessary that the chain of birth to death should be broken so that with Jesus a creature totally alive could rise, a living creature that would not be inside death like us, but that would voluntarily grab it to destroy it. The fruitful virginity of Mary, as well as the appearances of the Risen One behind closed doors, are a sign of this life more living than ours, a transfigured materiality.
The example of Mary, who gives life to the totally alive, today is especially carried out by the consecrated virgins. By freely choosing virginity, these women confirm themselves as persons mature and capable of living. At the same time they realize the personal value of their own femininity by becoming “a sincere and total gift” to Christ, Redeemer of man and Spouse of souls. The naturally spousal disposition of the feminine personality finds a response in a virginity understood in this way. The woman, called from the very “beginning” to be loved and to love, finds in the vocation to virginity first of all the Christ as the Redeemer who “loved to the end” through the total gift of self. She responds to this gift with the “sincere gift” of her entire life (see Saint John Paul II, Mulieris dignitatem, 34).
The consecrated virgins in the world show us how to follow the fruitful example of Mary, living like her the grace of simplicity. They testify with simple humility that we should not force ourselves to think of big things, let alone to do them, because we become ridiculous in our presumption. Like the Virgin Mary we must recognize and accept the presence of the Word of God in us.
Let’s pray to Our Lady that what happened in her may happen in us. Let’s ask the Lord that His love may take root like a flower in the fragility of our flesh.
And let us all push ourselves to imitate the attitude of Mary of Nazareth, who shows us that “being is prior to doing, and that we must leave it to God to truly be what He wants us to be. It is He who makes in us many wonders. Mary is receptive, but not passive. In the same way in which she at the physical level, receives the power of the Holy Spirit but then gives flesh and blood to the Son of God that takes form in her, so, on a spiritual level, she welcomes the grace and responds to it with faith “ (Pope Francis, Angelus December 8, 2014).
