Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin (Luke 1:34)
Day one of the Advent Lent marks the beginning of a 25 days journey culminating in the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mother Mary was the entry point of the saviour to this world. As such, reception of the Lord at this entry point draws great significance. God has made human beings with a free-will. It means human beings have the freedom of choice to make decisions that they deem right or wrong. Mother Mary as a human being was not an exception to this. She could outrightly reject the announcement of a pregnancy outside the wedlock. Apparently, Mother Mary did not do so but wholeheartedly submitted herself to the will of God to be accepted and conceived in her womb.
Though the spiritual discourse about faith is conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1), Mother Mary could not accept what angel Gabriel communicated to her about the spiritual conception, and hence sought further clarification. There is a prima facie double standard exhibited by angel Gabriel in a similar situation as we read in Luke 1: 20, when Zechariah the priest asked how will I know that this is so? (Luke 1:18). One may ask why Zechariah the priest was punished whereas Mother Mary was extended a patient hearing. The answer to this question could be found in angel Gabriel’s statement. He said, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God (Luke 1:19). The expansion of this statement leads us to look into Zechariah’s position. He was the priest of God, and, like angel Gabriel, he also stood in the presence of God. Hence, Zechariah should have known that as a priest, he is a responsible receptor of God’s message and shall convey it to the people of God. It could then be genuinely asked, if the representative of God is unable to believe in God’s promises, how would he be able to carry and deliver the same to the people of God.
As Zechariah stood in the presence of God, he did not need a confirmation of God’s voice. As an honest and committed priest, Zechariah could have easily discerned the angel as his co or fellow being in the service of God. The doubt expressed by the priest of God unveils his inability to feel the presence of God as well as see his fellow beings who also stood in God’s presence.
The punishment awarded by angel Gabriel was an eye opener for Zechariah. He possibly learned for the first time in his life that priesthood is not just inherited but a profession called by name (Isaiah 43:1). The words and deeds of a priest need to be aligned to his spiritual discernment received as a grace when he stands in the presence of God. Jesus said Let your words be Yes, Yes or No, No; anything more than this comes from the evil one (Matthew 5:37). On the contrary, Zechariah is seen applying his rationalist mind and questioning his fellow servant in Lord, angel Gabriel. The overwhelming of one’s spirit by his/her mind could result in a random and thoughtless response than a spiritually guided one. Hence, Saint Paul exhorts the faithful en-masse to redirect their tongue to thanksgiving: Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:4). Zechariah could better make use of the situation to thank God when he received the most precious gift that he was actually seeking ever since his marriage with Elizabeth.
Mother Mary’s question, how can this be, since I am a virgin is not just an innocent question but a cautious response. Unlike Zechariah who had the privilege to stand in the presence of the Lord, Mother Mary was a layperson. However, her status in the lower hierarchy of ranks was not an excuse for abstaining from the discernment of the scripture, as evident from the below paragraph. Saint Paul later cautioned in Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed.
There is insufficient ground to blame Mother Mary for not outrightly accepting the message conveyed through angel Gabriel. Neither can she be blamed for asking a question in this case. The justification for the Mother’s question could be found in an incident that provoked God to anger- When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose Genesis 6:1-2. Please note, the Hebrew tradition identifies the sons of God as angels (also see Job 1:6; 2:1 & 38:7).
If Mother Mary had suspected the intention of the angel or tried to confirm that the message was true indeed, it only confirms her familiarity with the scripture. Moreover, the Mother’s query could be accepted as something that could be emulated in a world struggling to distinguish between true and fake messages. In a world where the preference is for leadership over followership, there is increased competition among the corporate churches to attract followers in quantity over quality. The tactic used to multiply is unfortunately faked messages that feed itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3). As a result, the discourse has vastly shifted from a ‘witnessing’ church to a balance-sheet based church, thus nullifying the “Great Commission” – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).
Mother Mary’s question to angel Gabriel represents the witnessing church needing confirmation- that the message is truly from God. Saint John exhorts, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…..(1 John 4:1). In line with the Genesis 6:1-2 tragedy, Saint Paul further cautions, even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Unlike the way how angel Gabriel dealt with Zechariah, Mother Mary was treated with compassion. We read the detailed explanation of the angel, ….the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…(Luke 1;35). The true body of Christ (the church) should experience and witness the shadow of the Most High and the brooding of the Holy Spirit, both undoubtedly absent from a balance-sheet oriented church. Unlike the latter, a witnessing church will be devoid of marketing gimmicks, beats of heavy metals (music), las-vegas style lightings, and demonstration of human powers. Instead, there will only be a sound of sheer silence (1 Kings 19:12). In fact, Mount Horeb could be interpreted as a shadow or prototype of a true church. Prophet Elijah misunderstood the strong mountain splitting and rock shattering wind as the arrival of God (1 Kings 19:11), but was proved wrong. He was again wrong interpreting the earthquake and fire as the Lord’s arrival (1 Kings 19;11-12).
The arrival of Messiah was awaiting a heroic welcome from the people of God. The latter wanted their national and community pride kindled with an earth shattering entry mode of the Messiah as is stated in Isaiah 64: 1-2 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence- as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil- to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
To the disappointment of many, none of those things happened. Instead a trusted lieutenant was sent to an innocent virgin. Unlike a pompous summit or a red carpet visit to the hall of fame, the entire meeting took just a few minutes which silently marked the end of an age and the beginning of a new era for the world. Interesting and noteworthy is the brief exchange between the angel and Mother Mary that encompassed the greatest question ever asked (how can this be, since I am a virgin) and the answer to it which communicated the most powerful of all the words (Holy Spirit and Most High).
May God bless you. Amen.
Fr Dr Saji K Mathew 