Mary’s Lowliness Dawns Mankind’s Salvation
December 18, 2005 The Fourth Sunday of Advent (B) - Violet
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89
"Forever I Will Sing the Goodness of the Lord."
Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
In the drama of the Annunciation, Mary plays the lead role, with the angel Gabriel in the supporting cast. But for the evangelist Luke, the real protagonist is Jesus himself. All that the angel imparts to Mary, he says in relation to Jesus. She is given privileges and favors to make her worthy of the awesome role as the mother of the Messiah.
Luke is primarily concerned with telling us who Jesus is: he is the Messiah foretold by the prophets of old. “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel” (Is 7:14). It is he, the offspring of David, who will sit on the royal throne and will be a sign of salvation for God’s people.
Above all, Luke wants us to realize that Jesus is God’s gift of himself to mankind. Jesus is perfectly human, but his humanity comes not from man’s generating power. Rather, he represents a new creation brought about by the initiative and power of God: by “the power of the Most High,” by the “Holy Spirit.” Thus, Jesus is “holy.” He is totally consecrated to God and his saving work.
Now, where does Mary stand in all of these? As Fr. Nil Guillemette, SJ comments, God could have simply placed Mary before an accomplished fact. He could have sent Gabriel merely to let her know that she has already conceived through the Holy Spirit. But God does not work that way. He prefers to solicit Mary’s free consent regarding her role in God’s plan of salvation. Being a true “handmaid of the Lord,” Mary willingly obliges. One wonders what would have happened had Mary said “no” to the angel.
Because he truly respects and trusts us, God continues to take “risks” by allowing us the freedom to either realize or spoil his plans. He invites us to actively get involved in the continuous re-forming of our own lives and the world we live in.
Like Mary, we say “yes” to God’s invitation when we stand up for the rights of everyone and fight against oppressive structures in society. We also say “yes” when we lend a helping hand or a listening ear to neighbors in need. Every single act of love and service that we do for one another is a “yes” to God. Indeed, serving others with love is the best way of celebrating Christmas, the birth of our Messiah, which Mary’s “yes” made possible.
