Spiritual Exercise 15th May 2020

The angel Gabriel appeared and spoke to a young unmarried virgin who had no status at all. He appeared to

her in the sixth month of Elisabeth’s pregnancy. It was unheard of for an angel to appear to people who had no status like Mary. Even his greeting would have been out of the ordinary by addressing her as “favoured” or “graced one” and using words such as “The Lord is with you”. Mary now joins the list of those in the Bible who found favour before God like Noah and Moses. The angel said to her that she would become the mother of a son who would be identified with the “Mighty God” and who would have an eternal kingdom. In spite of her reaction that she was still a virgin (meaning that she did not have a bad reputation in her village), Gabriel said that the Lord would overshadow her as He did a long time ago in Egypt when He went ahead of them in a cloud! Jewish tradition used the language of “overshadowing” for God’s presence with his people. As Mary was wondering if this was really happening to her, Gabriel informed her that her elderly aunt Elizabeth, like Sarah in the Old Testament, was six months pregnant. Mary did not know this, because in those days they did not have modern means of communication such as mobile phones or the internet. This must have told Mary that for God anything was possible – something which Sarah, in the Old Testament was not so sure of! In her dire situation, Mary expresses her submission to the Lord’s will in Old Testament terms of obedience. Mary was prepared to be a servant of God. She persevered and trusted in God. While we are in lockdown, we should be trusting, having faith in the Lord, praying while we journey with Him. We should show the world what it means to be a true follower of Jesus, despite our circumstances. Amen