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.” Luke
1:26–28
Imagine if the Angel Gabriel, the glorious Archangel who stands
before the Most Holy Trinity, were to come to you and announce to
you that you were “full of grace” and that “The Lord is with you.”
What an indescribable and awe-inspiring experience that would be!
And yet this is exactly what happened to this young teenager, the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
We celebrate today this amazing event that took place, marking the
moment when God took on human flesh within her blessed womb. Note
that today is nine months before Christmas. The Church gives us
this Solemnity today to invite us to walk with Mary over these
coming nine months so as to join her in her rejoicing over the
birth of her divine Son.
Much could be said about this glorious Solemnity. We could ponder
Mother Mary and her Immaculate Conception. We could ponder the very
words spoken by the Archangel. We could ponder the mystery
surrounding her pregnancy and the way in which God chose to set
this gift into motion. And we could ponder so much more. Though all
of these aspects are worth fully pondering and praying over, let’s
focus upon the reaction of this young woman to the angelic
announcement.
First, we read that Mary was “greatly troubled” and “pondered”
these words spoken by the Archangel. Being troubled reveals that
Mary did not have full knowledge of what the Archangel was
revealing. But the fact that she pondered the words also reveals
her openness to a fuller understanding. She then seeks a deeper
gift of knowledge by asking, “How can this be, since I have no
relations with a man?” This response is first an assent of belief
in faith followed by a request for a deeper understanding of this
revelation. Faith is the ability to assent to that which we do not
fully understand, but true faith always seeks a deeper
understanding—and this is what Mary did.
After being given some further revelation by the Archangel, Mary
fully accepts what was revealed and trusts that what she was told
was all she needed to know at that time. And then she offers what
has come to be known as her “fiat.” She says, “Behold, I am the
handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
This fiat of Mary is her perfect prayer of surrender to the
will of God, and it is also the perfect model for how we all must
respond to the will of God. We must see ourselves as true servants
of His will, and we must fully embrace whatsoever God asks of us,
completely uniting our wills to His.
Reflect, today, upon these words of our Blessed Mother: “Behold, I
am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your
word.” How is God asking you to make this your prayer also? How is
God calling you to serve His most holy will? Are you willing to
fully assent to anything and everything God asks of you? As you
prayerfully reflect upon this fiat of our Blessed Mother,
seek to unite her response to yours so that you, too, will be a
servant of the most high God.
Father in Heaven, You sent Your Son to become incarnate in the
womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Your glorious Archangel Gabriel
brought forth this Good News. May I always be attentive to the
messages You send forth to me as You invite me to join in Your
divine mission of bringing Your Son into the world. I say “Yes''
this day, dear Lord, to serve Your most holy will. Jesus, I trust
in You.
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Featured image above: The Annunciation By Benvenuto Tisi, via
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