spicebush taken 2003 sji

 

Dec 12 2005

Lk 1:26-38 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.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “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. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her
I find it intersting that people who have been to the area of the world where historically this event has been told to have occurred say that the local people point out a well and say that the annunciation was in the setting of Mary being at a specific well that still exists. There do not seem to be any world art paintings, drawings or sculptures depicting the scene as such. The symbolism and cultural meaning of the well become a rich source of meditation, even though it is not written in the Scriptures and may be falklore.

The center of the reading is that God sends a messenger to Mary and she does not understand but questions then with grace accepts the word of God. She readily serves God even when more or less caught by surprise with a new and puzzling message. The Lord is with Mary, this grace makes all things possible.