“A Pattern for Living” by Colleen O’Sullivan
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| Annunciation and Nativity Façade, Sagrada Família Cathedral, Barcelona, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 |
Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:26-30)
Piety
"For know a blessed mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee,
Thy Son shall be Emanuel, by seers foretold
Most highly favored lady," Gloria!
All generations laud and honor thee,
Thy Son shall be Emanuel, by seers foretold
Most highly favored lady," Gloria!
Study
“Mary, … you have found favor with God.” As I was reflecting on today’s Scripture readings, I wondered what a prosperity gospel preacher would make of those words – “you have found favor with God.” Would the images conjured up include a life of ease, good health, pleasure, and wealth? Maybe, but when we look through the Scriptures at various individuals who have found favor with God – Moses, the prophet Jeremiah, Mary, to name a few – we know that being the recipient of God’s favor doesn’t guarantee an easy road ahead. In the song “Mary Did You Know,” Mary is questioned about what she knew her newborn babe would do in his public ministry. Of course, Mary had no idea. She didn’t even know Jesus would grow up to have any kind of ministry. Mary probably had many more questions than answers. After all, what does it mean that your infant son is proclaimed Savior? What does it mean when an elderly man tells you he’s seen the salvation of Israel as he beholds your young boy? What could be in store for a woman who is told a sword will pierce her heart?
No, when we find favor with God, chances are God’s got something in mind for us to do, and the doing of it may lead us to encounters with evil, frustration, or suffering of some sort. Mary had to contend with Joseph’s initial desire to quietly divorce her. She undoubtedly lost the trust of her immediate family and other villagers. Mary gave birth without her mother at her side, in rude surroundings. She and Joseph became refugees in Egypt in their effort to keep Jesus safe. And ultimately Mary had to watch her son suffer and die on a cross. On the other hand, she also witnessed the joy of the Resurrection.
Mary’s reaction to Gabriel’s announcement is one of confusion. Why would God pick me? I’m just a poor peasant girl. How will I ever explain this to Joseph or my parents? Will any of them believe me? What will happen to me? A few minutes after the angel Gabriel announces the good news that Mary has been chosen by God to be the mother of his Son, the young girl agrees to do what God asks. By the time Mary later visits Elizabeth, she is proclaiming the goodness of God in the Magnificat. Whenever God’s favor rests upon us and God asks something of us, our first reaction is generally “Why me? I’m not anyone special. I don’t know if I have what it takes.” It’s good to keep in mind that it’s God’s shining the spotlight on us that makes us special and not the other way around.
Mary ends up by telling the angel that she will do the will of God. Whatever her misgivings, she takes a leap of faith and agrees to what is being asked of her.
Action
There’s a pattern in this story that is repeated more than once in each of our lives. Rest assured that we will “find favor with God” on more than one occasion. God will have a task or a mission for which God has specifically selected us. We may be full of wonder, fear or amazement that God has singled us out. Like Mary, we may have no idea what this mission will entail, but we are asked whether we are with the Lord or not. Hopefully, our answer is a faith-filled acquiescence to what God asks of us.
Some of the things God asks of us are challenging. No one likes to suffer and we may suffer along the way, but it’s been my experience that those are the times when I’ve grown closest to God. And God never sends us out alone. God walks beside us every step of the way.
Take some time today to sit with Mary. Ask her to look back over her life and share with you her thoughts and feelings on her experiences. Talk to her about a time in your life when God asked you to do something in particular and how you responded.
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