Yes Lord

Of all the kings, prophets, and holy men and women of ancient Israel who had waited in faithful hope for the coming of the promised Savior, God chose to announce his coming to a young woman. The message was not proclaimed in a palace or even the temple in Jerusalem, but in a backwater village called Nazareth. Artists typically show a startled or shy Mary, usually seated and partly turning away from the heavenly messenger in confusion. In a small brightly colored painting created over a thousand years ago, the artist shows something entirely different. The angel is holding up one hand in greeting. Mary is standing up and facing him directly with both her hands extended toward him, as if to welcome him. In this encounter between the human and the divine, we see again God’s capacity to confound human expectations.

The words of the angelos (Greek for messenger) are rich in power and promise: “you have found favor with God . . . [your child] will be called Son of the Most High . . . he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end . . . The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:30, 32, 33, 35).

Mary was no shrinking violet. Because she was pure of heart and trusted completely, she responded to God with a wholehearted “yes.” At this point, God broke into our world. Through the cooperation of a simple village girl, God breathed the air we breathe, walked the earth we walk, and experienced our sorrows and joys as a human like the rest of us. Everything on earth became sanctified because God became human. God became flesh in the Son, Jesus Christ, born of Mary. The world would never be the same again.

The time is here to let him into our hearts and change us completely.

Weekly reflections are provided by our bulletin publisher, J. S. Paluch, Inc.