Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 25, 2019
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.
Early in my motherhood, our parish priest sent us a thank you card for the Christmas candy we had delivered to the rectory. The image on the card was Henry Tanner’s “The Annunciation” (shown here).
As I studied Tanner’s fragile, tentative-looking subject, I realized I did not recognize this Mary. She was so different than the images I had seen as a child: Mary, Gentle Woman, Quiet Light, Mary, full of grace—the tender, loving queen, proudly in the heavens—Our Blessed Mother.
Tanner’s Mary, the Mary we meet in today’s Gospel, was scared, confused and trying to figure out what was happening to her. As the mom of three young children at the time, including my own angel Gabriel, I could relate to this Mary I saw in Tanner’s painting.
This Mary showed me that despite my fear and uncertainty, I could choose to remain vulnerable, to recognize God’s work within me and agree to be a partner in God’s love.
I hung Fr. Bob’s card on the kitchen wall and, for more than ten years, I would turn to this image of Mary to guide my daily life as a mother, social worker and local elected leader.
Last Thanksgiving, my husband and I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art and stood before Tanner’s enormous masterpiece. The magnet we bought in the gift shop has now replaced the card, but the image remains right here in our kitchen, continuing to inspire me to follow Mary’s example of courage and strength.
Prayer
Mary, when the angel announced its message, you surely did not know what was going to happen or where your new life would take you. But your trust in God was so great that you could simply say, “May it be done to me according to your word.” Help us, your sons and daughters, to have that same kind of trust in God in good times and in bad. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Tradition has placed the feast of the Annunciation—the moment when Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and conceived Jesus in her womb—exactly nine months before Christmas, on March 25. However, it is sometimes moved so that it does not fall during Holy Week, Easter Week, or on a Sunday.
The story of the Annunciation comes to us from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Six months after the conception of John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel visited Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, but not yet living in his household.
Gabriel greeted Mary by saying, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” She was confused and troubled, and Gabriel explained, saying, “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.”
Gabriel went on to explain that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and “the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”
Mary’s response to this incredible invitation: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Today’s feast honors the Incarnation by which Jesus takes on our human nature, and it honors Mary for her crucial role in that gracious movement: all of salvation hinges on Mary’s “yes” in this moment. By her “yes” we, also, are destined for divinity. It is her acceptance of God’s call to bear Jesus to the world that gives us the courage and strength to bear Jesus to the world. It is her cooperation with the Word of God that gives our own humanity a share in God’s glory.
Gabriel’s visit to Mary is depicted in the Basilica in both stained glass and in a painted mural, as shown here today.
On this feast of the Annunciation, let us say “yes” with Mary to God’s invitation to bear Jesus to the world!