Homily for December 20

Homily for
December 20, 2019

Luke 1: 26-38

Provincial House, New Rochelle, N.Y.

“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God…” (Luke 1: 26).

The 6th month is Elizabeth’s 6th month of pregnancy.  Elizabeth and her pregnancy become for Mary a sign of God’s wondrous power, and an explicit reminder for believers that “nothing is impossible for God” (1:37).

Annunciation window

(St. Ursula's Church, Mt. Vernon, N.Y.)

But not as great a sign as what God does thru Mary herself.

Mary is puzzled—“greatly troubled”—at the angel’s strange greeting (1:29), quite more than the customary shalom, and at being so favored of God (1:30).  She may have been of lower middle class, to be betrothed to a craftsman like Joseph, who isn’t a dirt-poor farmer working someone else’s land, like the vast majority of the people of Palestine.  In fact, if Elizabeth is of a priestly family, “a daughter of Aaron,” as Luke noted when he introduced her along with her husband (1:5), and Mary is her kinswoman (1:36), then it’s likely that Mary, also, is of priestly descent.  Still, there’s nothing to make her think that she’s special before God.

So startled, nevertheless she’s open to God’s word—both Gabriel’s spoken message, and the incarnate Word eager to come to her, and thru her to the world, God’s “all-powerful word from heaven’s royal throne” bounding like a fierce warrior into the doomed land,” in the evocative phrase of the Book of Wisdom (18:15).  More than open, Mary’s submissive, obedient:  “let it be done” (1:38).

Day-to-day life has a way of startling us often, sometimes throwing us into confusion.  We aren’t “full of grace” like Mary (1:28), altho we may be “highly favored,” as some other translations put that phrase.  We are given God’s grace to make our way thru the day’s challenges, to discern and cooperate with his plan for us—be it in community life, our apostolic ministry, or some personal matter.  We may not understand the plan—usually we don’t!—any more than Mary did.  It may run contrary to our expectations or considered judgment, as in a directive from a superior or administrator; or be driven by outside events.  If we no longer call the bell the voice of God, we know that God still speaks thru the events and people in our lives, and not only superiors.

We can ask Mary, then, to help us go with God’s plan, to repeat her fiat, to walk in God’s grace each day, and by our example to teach others to do that.