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Friends,
our Gospel today introduces the most important Advent personage: Mary,
the Mother of God. The Church Fathers often made a connection between
Eve, the mother of all the living, and Mary, the Mother of God and
Mother of the Church. In fact, they saw her as "the new Eve," the one
who undid the damage done by Eve.
The
angel's greeting to Mary is important here: "Hail Mary, full of grace."
Mary is greeted as someone who is able to accept gifts. Eve and Adam
grasped; Mary is ready to receive. And Mary's reply is also significant:
"How is this possible, for I do not know man?" There is nothing cowed
about Mary.
The
angel explains to Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you…" At the heart of the
spiritual life is the conviction that your life is not about you. The
real spiritual life is about allowing oneself to be overwhelmed by the
one who loves us. Mary is someone who is ready for the impossible, and
this makes her the paradigm of discipleship. "Let it be done to me
according to thy word." That's an acquiescence to adventure.
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