Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 - March 25 - The Annunciation of the Lord
[Isa 7:10-14; 8:10; Heb 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38]"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." [Luke]
In the fifth week of Lent comes this joyful feast. Of course, the dictates of nature require that the annunciation take place nine months before the birth of Jesus. God did not suspend that law even if Jesus' conception was not according to the usual way! The imagination can have a wonderful spiritual time with the scene, and artists over the centuries have presented it in many, many ways. One of the best I ever saw was in a church in Louisiana where Mary is shown sitting at a table with an angel (no wings) beside her. The message has just been given, and Mary has an expression on her face that is a mix of astonishment and worry that is truly human and truly expresses all that could be implied. She is betrothed, and not yet living with her future husband, and she is now pregnant!
If we focus on the miraculous in this scene, I think we can miss the real meaning of incarnation. Real people were put in a very challenging situation that is part of a divine course of action. Later generations will dress it all up and surround it with mystery and make a popular prayer, the Hail Mary, out of the angel's message. But we should not let that distract us fromthe fact that incarnation means taking flesh, and Mary supplied that along with her humble agreement to cooperate. Can we imagine ourselves as being the incarnation of God's plan? Our baptism puts us in that position! AMEN
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