Serving the light within her
March 25, day of the Annunciation. Mary, a woman of faith, full of the Holy Spirit who accepts God's will and gives Jesus' light to the world.
Sister M. Lourdes Macías Graue
25 March 2021
Every year we celebrate with joy the feast of the Annunciation, where we relive when Mary, recognizing the great gift that God gives her of being the mother of his son, listens to the message, closes her eyes, internalizes it and, opening her eyes, pronounces her “Yes, I do”.
Through her acceptance she opens herself totally to God’s will and assumes her mission to serve the Light within her.
God, who has called Mary by her name because he knows her personally, can entrust to her the greatest treasure He possesses, his own son.
For this reason, the angel’s Annunciation to Mary is one of the most contemplated and meditated mysteries. It incorporates both the love of God for Mary (and in her for all mankind) and the love of Mary (and, along with her, the love of all mankind) for God our Lord.
Mary’s “I do” is a calling and a response, revelation and acceptance, choice and responsibility, mission and commitment.
To live is to be called and loved by someone for something, for a mission. Every man and every woman are created in the heart of God to fulfill His eternal plan and their journey through life should be the realization of God’s dream in history. The call is clear, certain, and constant. And the answer?
Following Mary’s example, many people, men and women, have decided to follow God’s call and serve the one who is the light, Christ.
We can say that the call to Mary through the angel is indicative of God’s actions towards man. We can observe this mainly in these three characteristics:
First, we could say that God has a preference for the humble, the insignificant, the simple. That is why he chooses Mary, the handmaid of the Lord. She is humble because she knows the infinite gap there is between God and her. Mary feels she is a simple and insignificant daughter of her people. That is why she is troubled when the angel greets her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
A second characteristic: For the truly great events in history and in our lives, God does not choose the turmoil and turbulence of the world, but rather chooses isolation and serenity. The greatest moments are often the most peaceful and unseen. This is also true for this unique encounter between heaven and earth: it takes place in the privacy and peace of Mary’s house, ignored by the world.
As a third point, the Annunciation reveals to us that God takes man and his freedom seriously. That is why he does not want to carry out his plans of salvation without man’s free collaboration and consent.
In the Gospel scene, God’s respect for the dignity and freedom of human beings is remarkably expressed. God gives Mary the possibility of accepting or rejecting her mission. God places humanity’s destiny in the hands of this humble virgin.
Mary’s response at this decisive hour is an example for all of us: “Yes, I will, let it be done to me according to your word”. She accepts, even though she does not see or understand. This is why the most extraordinary thing about Mary at the hour of the Annunciation is her faith.