Weekdays of Advent: December 20th
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Today, once more, we contemplate the impressive scene of the Annunciation. God, always true to his promises, lets Mary know, through the Angel Gabriel that she is the one chosen to bear the Savior of the world. As we learn to expect from the Lord, the most important event in the history of mankind —the Creator and Lord of all things becoming man, just like us— takes place in a very simple way: a young woman in a small village in Galilea. No fireworks.
The way of going about it is simple; the event is magnificent as are the virtues of the Virgin Mary: filled with grace, the Lord is with her, humble, simple, available for God's will, generous. God has plans for her, as he has for you and for me, but He relies on our free and loving cooperation to carry them out. Mary is our example: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38). It is not only a “yes” to the message of the Angel; it is turning herself into the hands of God the Father, to abandon herself to his intimate providence, to let God work through her now and in all the circumstances of Her life.
Of Mary's answer to God's will, as of ours,—Saint Josemaría Escriva— writes, “never forget it, a great deal depends on it”.
We are preparing to celebrate Christmas. The best way to do so is to be with Mary, contemplating Her life and trying to imitate Her virtues in order to receive the Lord with the right heart: What does God expect from me, now, today, at work, with this person I deal with all the time, from my relation with Him? A great deal depends on our response to the little things of every day!
“Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.” (Saint Irenaeus)
“Mary is the docile servant of the holy Word. There were reasons to be afraid, because carrying the weight of the world, being the mother of the King of the universe was stronger than any forces of a human being. That is why the Archangel repeated to her “Don’t be afraid”; so typical of the Scriptures.” (Benedict XVI)
“The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as ‘full of grace’ (Lk 1:28) In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace.”