“Mum, Dad, I’m pregnant.”
“Who’s the father?”
“The Holy Spirit.”
“Yeah, right…”
Having been taught all the theological aspects of the incarnation of the Son of God and shaped by Marian devotions, we tend to romanticise and idealise the incident presented in today’s gospel. Or, to use politicians’ most recent favourite phrase, “hindsight is a wonderful thing.” But when we try to look at the Annunciation (the theological term for the event) as it happened, we can find that it was highly challenging and carried great, even fatal, risks. In fact, the gospels of St Luke and St Matthew didn’t gloss over those challenges, as we do because “hindsight is a wonderful thing”, particularly when combined with sound theology. Without diminishing such an important angle, it’s worth looking at the scene of the Annunciation from the “here and now” perspective because it offers more relatable content. In order to do so, we have to remember that the story, as we heard it, used the language of storytelling to convey the intangible aspects of the event. Consequently, we need to venture behind the words.
The event was effectively a dialogue between two parties. One was Mary, a young woman of no significance in a far-flung corner of the Roman Empire and backwaters of Israel, Nazareth, a town of questionable reputation, as testified in the gospel of St John by Nathaniel: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (1:46) The other party is God, represented by Gabriel the archangel, in other words, someone of great significance. It was a huge disparity of power between the two of them, and here lies the first important lesson. The powerful party didn’t use its advantage to bend the weaker side to its will; Gabriel initiated a dialogue that respected Mary’s freedom and will. Do we act similarly when we are in a position of power?
The archangel Gabriel presented Mary with a powerful vision of greatness: “You are to conceive and bear a son […]. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever, and his reign will have no end.” Being the mother of the Messiah was a dream for every ancient Israeli woman, so I imagine embracing such a vision enthusiastically and immediately would be easy. However, there was one massive question mark over the initial stage of the plan: “How can this come about since I am a virgin?” Above a certain age, it is common knowledge where children come from, and it has nothing to do with storks. Mary’s question didn’t address practical arrangements only but – perhaps more importantly – the most likely negative moral and social consequences of an extramarital pregnancy. “Hindsight is a wonderful thing”, but Mary could hardly afford it. She would have to face the highly challenging reality there and then. It looked as if God’s plan for greatness would cause a lot of trouble. And not just for Mary. St Matthew, in his gospel, told us how her fiance, Joseph, was torn apart by the news of Mary’s pregnancy and was planning to dump her. In both cases, Mary and Joseph received assurances that helped them change their minds and face up to those challenges. It’s important to note that they were not promised an easy, trouble-free life. They were assured that they would not be left to their own devices in their troubles. It would be echoed in Jesus’ teaching: “They will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. […] You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish.” (Luke 21:12-18)
Here’s our second lesson. Accepting God’s vision for our lives, our choices, and our decisions will not give us easy, carefree lives. Like everyone else, we face a harsh reality full of challenges and hardships. Living up to the standards of the gospel can sometimes make our lives even harder, in opposition to the mainstream culture that offers self-centeredness and self-interest as the means to deal with difficult decisions. What God’s plan does offer us is the certainty of faith that we are never alone in our struggles here and now, and that whatever happens, it will eventually make sense; as St Paul beautifully put in words: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.” (Romans 8:28) Or to use a modern phrase, “hindsight is a wonderful thing.” Because when we look back at our past through the lens of faith, we can see how all those apparently incidental, disconnected happenings have been parts of a bigger picture. So, we accept God’s plan not because it offers immediate and short-term convenience but because it offers to make sense of our complicated lives. Mary in today’s gospel and Joseph in his own story, having considered God’s assurances, gave their respective answers: “Let what you have said be done to me.” What is your answer?
