Faith Perfected

A Reflection on the Gospel for December 20th, 2020:
Fourth Sunday of Advent

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Luke
1.26-38

The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

The Angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.

“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.

“And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Then the Angel departed from her.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Really let those words sink in… Nothing is impossible with God. 

We live in a world where things are not guaranteed; where things don’t always go as planned. Sometimes the computer crashes with all of the important files on it. Sometimes the power goes out on a day when you needed it most. Sometimes heavy traffic makes you late for that really important meeting. When you think about it, we really do have very little control over most things in life. On earth, we are surrounded by impossibilities. But, through God, all things can truly be made possible. 

Every time I read this scripture, I’m deeply inspired by Mary’s acceptance and knowledge that God can do all things. Although I also know this in my heart to be true, Mary is completely faithful to the Lord in all her actions, which can be difficult at times. 

Imagine being in her shoes: a young woman who has yet to be married, living in a town where carrying a child out of wedlock would lead to lots of awful stares and judgement. That sounds absolutely terrifying! But at the same time, I can’t help but smile thinking of the great joy that God must have had when Mary gave Him her “yes”. Mary completely trusted her heavenly Father, without a doubt. If there is any perfect model for faith, it would certainly be her. Amidst her confusion (and likely, anxiety) about what was being asked of her, all she could say was “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” 

Although the Lord has not asked of you or I something as extreme as this, it should still be appreciated that God also has plans for you and desires for you to do His will; to let Him make all things possible here on this earth full of impossibilities. 

God asks for your “yes” every single day, like He did with Mary. He wants you to live the life that He has perfectly designed for you: to have a relationship with Him and share your faith with others always. That involves having the same courage that Mary did at the annunciation. I pray that when the Lord asks His will of me, that I too will have the great faith to respond with the words: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Amen.

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Megan Noye

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