Luke 1:26-38
This
fourth Sunday of Advent, we turn our gaze to Mary, the ultimate guide to the
Mystery of the Incarnation.
Following the Fall of Man in the Old
Testament, God promised a Messiah through a woman (Gen 3:15). If a woman was
the reason of the Fall then it would be through another woman that humanity
would be saved. It took thousands of
years for God to carry out his plan and to create that woman who would be the
instrument for salvation. In the
language of St. Paul, the Messiah was born in the fullness of time through a
woman (Gal 4:4). This woman is Mary.
In the Annunciation we contemplate
first on the “obedience a priori”
(the first obedience) of the Word to the Father who willed that his Son should
become man! We see here both the self-giving
(Kenosis) of both the Father and the Son: the Father who, out of love, gave
away his Son and the Son who, out of obedience, said his yes to the
Father. We also meditate on the Holy
Spirit who was the instrument in the realisation of this eternal
gift-giving. Secondly, the faithfulness
of God who in his graciousness fulfilled his promise of old. Thirdly, we also see God’s humility by asking
a woman, his mere creature a favor. Out
of God’s deep respect for freedom of the will, he asked Mary: “Would you be my instrument so that I can
become a man?” It was that very
moment when heaven and earth stood still and almost hanged in a balance when
God awaited for Mary’s response… a moment in history God had been awaiting
for. In all her humility, Mary said her
Fiat, an abandoning and wholehearted YES: “May
it be done according to your word”! And that very instant, the Word became flesh. This glorious spark in history was made
possible through the meeting of the faithfulness and humility of God and Mary.
What
is Mary’s Annunciation to us today? Just
like the Israelites who waited for the coming of their Messiah, we have been
waiting and longing for the coming of Jesus.
How open are we to cooperate in the Incarnation of God in the present
time? Just as God needed the cooperation
of Mary for Jesus to be born, he wants our participation in the eternal
birthing of the divine in us. He wants our personal yes!
The Word which the world cannot hold was contained in the
humble womb of Mary. It was made
possible because God prepared Mary who, in her unconditional obedience, emptied
herself totally without reserve and provided a sacred space to contain the
immensity of God’s presence. This is the
fullness of Mary! Such fullness which
was designed by God because she was the only one who could reverse the empty
disobedience of the first Eve; she would be the New Ark of the Covenant who
could house the Word made flesh. Fullness of life consists in abandoning our
life to the will of God even if his ways are odd and difficult. Like Mary, we just have to say YES!
The Word can never be contained by the world but he can take
possession of our humble hearts if, like Mary, we totally empty ourselves of
anything that is un-godly. From the womb
of Mary, she gave birth to God whom one day she would give away, just like the
Father, as a gift and ransom for humanity.
We do not stop in the contemplation of the indwelling of the Word-made-flesh
in our lives; the moment we possess him, he only wishes “to be spoken” because he
is meant be shared to the world….
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