Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

 

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38

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. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 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, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 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. 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; for nothing will be impossible for God.” 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.

 

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear the story of the Annunciation; a story of conversion and a call to discipleship. The Angel Gabriel appears before Mary and tells her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” We all have favor with the Lord. After God created man in his image and likeness, He looked back and reflected on his creation and said “it is very good”. The early Church Fathers from the first and second century taught that Mary received a number of distinctive blessings or graces from God in order to make her the fitting mother and the archetypical follower of Christ. These blessings included her role as the New Eve in correspondence to Christ’s role as the New Adam, her Immaculate Conception, her spiritual motherhood of all Christians, and her Assumption into heaven. These gifts were given to her by God’s grace and not because she did anything to earn them. We too have been bestowed with gifts and treasures so we can be disciples of Christ.  We are given gifts from the Holy Spirit which allow us to be his messenger and his witness.

 

The early fathers tell us that the key to understanding the graces of Mary is her role as the New Eve. Because she is the New Eve, she, like the New Adam, was born immaculate or sinless, just as the First Adam and Eve were created immaculate. Because she is the New Eve, she becomes the mother of all the people of the new covenant with God.  When the Angel Gabriel greets Mary as “full of grace,” we know that she is born immaculate and has no sin.  The only way a person can be full of grace is to have no sin in them.  This is how we are after we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation – we are sinless. Mary gives us hope that man has the power to remain sinless and be rendered immaculate.  We have to become completely centered on Christ as Mary was on her son.  Mary, as the archetypical Christian, received this grace the day she was conceived and becomes the witness to us all today. God granted her freedom from sin (“full of grace”) to make her a fitting mother for his Son.  If one is “full of grace,” one does not contain sin. 

 

Mary’s loyalty to God is exemplified in her response to the Angel. She does not know what lies ahead, but just that God is calling her. She does not know what the future holds nor what her son will go through in his life. We too are being called by God to be his servants. Do we take joy in answering yes? Every single one of us is called into the service of God. Every single one of us has special graces which God has given us.  How do we respond to God when He calls upon us? Do we react with the same wonder and awe that Mary did or do we respond with doubt?  We are called to respond with the joy and amazement which would show that we are a “handmaid of the Lord”. We must not worry about the future but just be receptive to the calling and the present. God will take care of the future, we must worry about the now. We must have faith that God will take care of us and lead us to his house. “Do not be afraid.” He is there to hold us and protect us. He is there to guide us. Do not be afraid, because God has found favor in you. God has blessed you with many graces.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord God in Heaven, you call me by name to be your disciple.

Help me find strength to say yes to your will.

 

Your Servant in Christ

Michael Marcon