![]() It gives us priceless insight into her faith and how we can imitate it. Let us ignore, too, the complex theology and dogma that bestow on this humble woman such lofty titles as “Mother of God” and “Queen of Heaven.” Let us instead focus on what the Bible actually reveals. So let us ignore the countless “likenesses” executed in paint, marble, or plaster. Yet, what God’s Word does say about her is revealing indeed.Ĥ In order to get acquainted with Mary, we need to look beyond many preconceptions about her that are promoted in various religions. It says little of her background, less of her personality, and nothing at all of her appearance. In order to get acquainted with Mary, what do we need to ignore, and on what do we need to focus?ģ Many are surprised to learn that the Bible does not tell us much about Mary. Suddenly, though, she found herself faced with this visitor who brought her an assignment from her God, a responsibility that would change her life.ģ, 4. So her course may have seemed to lie neatly mapped out before her-a simple life of working supportively as the wife of Joseph, raising a family together with him. She was engaged to marry the carpenter Joseph who was, not a man of wealth, but a man of faith. Ģ Thus the Bible introduces us to Mary, daughter of Heli, of the town of Nazareth in Galilee. He addressed Mary in a way that was altogether new to her, saying: “Good day, highly favored one, Jehovah is with you.”- Read Luke 1:26-28. In a small town like hers, strangers stood out. He was there to see her! He could not be from Nazareth of that she was sure. He did not ask for her father or her mother. MARY looked up, wide-eyed, as the visitor entered her home. (a) Mary received what greeting from a stranger? (b) In what way was Mary at a crossroads? Angels walk with us in that which troubles us, and like Gabriel to Mary, remind us that "the Lord is with you.1, 2. Finally, Gabriel knows well God's unwavering commitment of love to God's people, it is at the essence of Gabriel's very being and is a love that also endures into our own.Īs you imagine yourself there with Gabriel en route to share with Mary this unbelievable news, how do you relate? Perhaps we are like Gabriel: We know the story of what will happen and, having experienced its goodness, we are eager to live into its hope fully.Īngelic tradition reminds us that angels like Gabriel are to be understood as "ministering spirits." They are unique conduits of the divine in that while they communicate decisions of God, they are also ministers, beings intended to guide us back toward God. Gabriel knows of the radical shift Jesus' life and ministry will bring to the world, and the ways in which humanity will be called to live out that shift for ages to come. ![]() Unlike Mary, Gabriel has the benefit of knowing what is to happen, and of the transformation the world will see as a result of the infant Jesus. But also, there is the matter that she, an unwed teenager, will become pregnant with that Savior, and likely has countless questions as to how it will all come to pass. How many times in our lifetimes have we heard the Christmas story? Of course, there is the matter of a Savior to be born, of God coming to earth in human form and as a vulnerable infant, no less. ![]() Gabriel knows the story, perhaps not unlike how we do in our own time. Having been with God since the beginning of time, and as someone who will continue to know God's goodness until the end of time, there will be much for Gabriel to communicate with Mary in their visit. In this case, as we encounter ourselves journeying with Gabriel to the Annunciation, consider Gabriel's perspective. To complicate things further, as beings that are not bound by time, angels are privy to knowledge of both human events and Godly events in a way that we might never fully understand. In other places, angels take on a more familiar human form but with an added transcendence that is difficult for words to capture. Historically, in some parts of the Hebrew scriptures, angels are described as potentially terrifying individuals: amalgamated animal bodies of varying terror with wings and other oddities. As you gaze on the image of the angel Gabriel, where do your eyes linger? What do you notice? Can you imagine yourself there on the journey with Gabriel, God's messenger? Angels can be difficult beings to truly appreciate.
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