“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 35 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. 36 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; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 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 (Lk. 1:26-38).”
God’s archangel Gabriel greeted the virgin Mary, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you (v. 28).” Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of His son. If Jesus was God’s son and without the stain of original sin (v. 32), Mary had to be without the stain of original sin since it was handed down from Adam and passed on from generation to generation. It could only be removed by Baptism after the lamb was sacrificed. Mary was betrothed to Joseph who was from the line of David. Gabriel told her that she will be impregnated by the Holy Spirit and will bear a son to be called Jesus which means God saves. Mary’s conception by the power of God is a gift from God to Joaquin and Anne, Mary’s aging parents, who were devout Jews and did not have children (Lk. 1:5-25). A couple who did not have children was publicly shamed because the community believed it was punishment from God. Gabriel also told Mary that her son would inherit David’s throne and would rule forever over the house of Jacob. Jesus will gather together in Jerusalem the 12 tribes of Israel who were conquered and scattered. God was again creating something out of nothing (v. 37; Gen. 18:14). Mary responded to God’s announcement with obedience and total abandonment as the servant of the Lord (v. 38), even though a betrothed woman found to be pregnant by someone else was stoned to death (Deut. 22:23-24). Man’s salvation was dependent on Mary’s response, her free will.
Almighty and ever-living God, we who were justly condemned to death by the sin of Adam were graced with salvation by the YES of a devout child who abandoned herself to God’s will. Increase our faith that we too may abandon ourselves to your will no matter what we believe the personal cost might be. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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