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How can this be?
Wonder and curiosity is one thing, total bewilderment in the dark is quite another. When Mary receives the message from Gabriel, it is that kind of a total novelty, something remarkably and outlandishly extraordinary that she has to pause and ask: “How can this be?”
You must have seen many artistic renditions of the annunciation of Gabriel to Mary. In addition to obvious Marian symbols such as lilies, you may have noticed something between Mary and Gabriel, whether it be a pillar or a kneeler, or some other objects, that blocks the spatial and communicational immediacy between them.
The angel said to Mary: “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.”
“No longer are we dealing with human request and God’s generous fulfillment; this is God’s initiative going beyond anything man or woman has dreamed of (Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, 314).”
Luke’s gospel concentrates on Mary, which is quite extraordinary in her sociological and historical context. Mary has no official social position among people. She is among the powerless people in her society: she is young in a world that values age; female in a world ruled by men; poor in a stratified economy. She has neither husband nor child to validate her existence. Yet, she finds favor with God and is highly gifted/full of grace. This shows that God’s activity is surprising and often paradoxical, reversing human expectations. When the angel makes clear that not human actions but divine power will effect, she responds in obedient faith (See Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke, 39).
The reaction of Mary is not just bewilderment, and certainly not a denial, but an awe and humble and total acceptance: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done (fiat) to me according to your word.”
Here we have a challenge and lesson meant for all of us. Mary is the symbol for all Christians, whether men or women, and all are challenged to be servants of the Lord, accepting that he be conceived in them according to the heavenly word (Luke 1:38). This challenge demands our complete submission and obedience. This challenge is no less significant in understanding and accepting the work of the Holy Spirit and power of the Eucharist today. Submission and obedience may be almost foreign to our contemporary sensitivity and attitude, yet they are most fundamental in Christian life, because we have the Messiah only through Mary’s total availability to the Lord. As reminded often, let’s get back to the fundamentals!
Wishing you the most surprising and splendid joy of the coming Messiah,
Father Paul D. Lee