Now that we have reached the fourth Sunday of Advent, and with Christmas just a few days away, the focus of our liturgy is now very much on the birth of Jesus. We are being encouraged to prepare ourselves for his birth. This means that we are like those people of old who stood ready for the revelation that God was bringing about. The model for us is Mary, and we met her in the gospel. There are three moments in today’s story of the Annunciation that we should ponder. The first is the appearance of the angel to Mary, and the greeting. What is happening here? The angel Gabriel, of course, was the messenger sent by God, and brought God’s word to Mary. The word Mary heard didn’t seem to offer any consolation, but came as a challenge and a shock. Mary was being asked to do something that she would never have dreamt of. She was being asked to participate in God’s plan for the world, and to become the mother of Jesus, his Son. She was being asked to nurture the Son of God, and bring him up in the world.
This leads us to the second moment in the story. Mary was troubled and confused. She was probably very frightened. She even asked the angel what it all could mean, and how it could come about. We should not underestimate the significance of Mary’s troubled response. If she is the model of Christian discipleship then her reaction reminds us that if we listen for the word of God we can also expect to be troubled when we hear it. Mary had to overcome her fear. Interestingly, fear often leads us to focus on ourselves. We are not sure that we will be able to achieve what others expect of us; we can fear making a mess of things; we can be afraid of what other demands might come if we accept this one. With Mary, however, we realise that the things she was being called to undertake would quickly turn her attention to the child developing in her womb. She was going to be a mother, and all her attention would soon be on the child and its welfare. Yes, she will change, particularly as the child grows within her. Her time of pregnancy will be a time to prepare for the birth of the child, and a time to come to know herself a little better. We could almost say that she won’t have time to be afraid because she will be so engaged in the life of someone else.
The third moment in the story came when Mary responded to the angel’s invitation, and indicated that she would do God’s will. This too is an important moment, because it represents a moment of decision and commitment. It is interesting to note that many of the early Christian writers spoke at length about the importance of Mary’s freedom in responding to God. The whole world was waiting for her response, they said, knowing that she could have said ‘no’. But she said ‘yes’, and trusted that God would continue to respond to her with a ‘yes’. I’m sure that she was not without occasional moments of doubt and fear, just as I am also sure that as time went on many things happened that she had not anticipated, nor that she understood. What this third moment tells us is that responding to God is not just a matter of working it out in our mind, and doing our best to understand God’s will. There is another step, and it involves the stirrings of our heart. The Annunciation reminds us that the “let it be” of Mary comes as much from her heart as from her mind. By the time she says yes to God, she is ready in her own heart to participate in the mystery of God’s plan. She accepts that she is face-to-face with Mystery, but she trusts that God will continue to beckon her.
This season of Advent is a time of quiet reflection, when we listen for God’s word. Each of us has our own experience of “annunciation” in some form or other. This is the time when we come to know that God is calling us to live the Mystery of our faith. It may not be some grand plan of public engagement in the world, but it will always be a call to live more fully in communion with God and to participate in and be a witness to God’s plan for our world. Like Mary we have the freedom to follow that call or to be deaf to it. Like Mary, we may be afraid of what God has planned for us. All around us there can be other voices that beckon us, and urge us to turn away from God. Some voices in our society want to forget God all together, as if God makes no difference. It will take courage to hear God’s word. It has always taken courage to hear God’s word! Of course we need to ask questions and test it, just as Mary did with the angel. One sure sign that we are responding to God’s word will be that we shift our focus from ourselves, and begin to see how we can do good for others. This is what Christians call love or charity.
This message of Advent comes in a special way to young people, and I would encourage you to find some time for quiet and reflection during what is a busy season of partying and celebrating. I don’t mean that there can’t be partying and celebrating – after all there is a lot to celebrate. But allow Mary to be your model as you listen to God’s word, face your own fears and questions, and find a way to respond in the depths of your own heart. Above all, cultivate a spirit of trust and hope, as you watch the life of the Holy Spirit grow in you. And in that Spirit, reach out to others in love and charity.
Fr. Gerard Kelly
