December 21, 2008

"We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us;
It is in everyone." --- Marianne Williamson

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, the Church concentrates on Mary as she is about to give birth to Jesus. Mary has been pictured as a frail, young girl and as a goddess. Neither of these is the real Mary. There is no historical information about her. To understand who she was we have to look behind the Scripture stories to find out what the gospel writers were trying to tell us about her. Let's look at this week's gospel story from Luke.

Mary was a listening woman. She received a call. It was not a command, but an invitation. She had to make a decision and give her response, not knowing what the consequences would be. She was a strong, intelligent, independent young woman who did not seem surprised by a visit from an angel, suggesting she was a woman of faith. She even asked the angel how this could be. She did not ask her father's permission. I wonder if she thought of the consequences of her pregnancy when she was already betrothed to Joseph; her fate could be death. She listened to the Spirit, and then said, "Yes," and Jesus was formed in her.

Mary was a proclaiming woman. She believed the angel's message and set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth in the hill country of Judah. That would have been 50-60 miles -- not much for us; but for Mary it would have been a 3-day journey. Luke doesn't say anyone went with her. Perhaps she traveled with others going the same way, and she probably walked at least some of the way. She proclaimed the Lord to Elizabeth and to us in her beautiful Magnificat that joyfully celebrates the revolution of God where the poor will be lifted up and the powerful put down --- a message that resonates in many areas of our world and societies today.

Do we listen to God and respond in faith to what God asks of us as Mary did? Are we willing to tell others what the Lord has done for us? The example Mary gives us is the best personification of who she is.