Prayer is a time of difficult decisions. Some concern our activities; others have a broad social scope; still others can affect the fate of a nation, a state, the Church, or humanity. The most crucial decision from the point of view of the fate of humanity was made in prayer, that is, in a conversation with God, by a humble woman from Nazareth. Thanks to her decision, God began to dwell among people and became available to everyone who could look at Him with the eyes of faith. The scene of the Annunciation, described by St. Luke, opens up eternal perspectives for every person, from Adam and Eve to the last one to be conceived in the human family. However, we are interested in this scene from the perspective of God’s word addressed to man and the expectation of his decision.
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man of the house of David, whose name was Joseph. And the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” She was astonished at his words and wondered what such a greeting meant › Luke 1:26-29.
The angel greets the woman. He lists her extraordinary qualities of spirit. Mary is full of grace, that is, holiness. She was conceived as a saint. She was never deprived of this holiness for a moment. The Church presents this truth in the dogma of her Immaculate Conception. The angel knows this. He also knows that God is with her and that she is an exceptional woman in the human family. Mary reflects on the words that allow her to see the greatness of her dignity. It is the first time that her qualities are mentioned. The angel gives her the time she needs to reflect on what he has said. Knowing that she has accepted his words, he tells her the message that God has sent him to her.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be mighty, and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” › Luke 1:30-33.
The angel reassures her. This means that Mary was troubled by the honor bestowed on her by the Lord’s messenger. The angel immediately explains that it is not about her or her greatness, but about the task she is to fulfill. Without that greatness, she would not have been able to meet it. Mary’s task is a call to motherhood. In God’s plans, she is to be the Mother of His Son. Mary asks for an explanation of how the Son of God was conceived, because she had long ago decided to remain a virgin. She made this decision and was indispensable to God’s plans, even though Mary did not yet know why her vow was necessary to God. However, she understood that the Son of God was essential to her maintaining the holiness she cherished deeply. Her decision was expressed through prayer, so she wanted to be sure that God respected it. As a saint, she wanted to belong exclusively to Him. She asks the angel a question that makes sense in this circumstance.
Mary said to the angel, “What will my name be, since I do not know a man?” The angel answered 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 called holy, the Son of God.” Luke 1:34-35.
The answer is clear. The work of conception will be exclusively the work of God, not of man. Mary was prepared to fulfill everything that God asked of her. She knew that the prediction of the Holy Spirit, who had dwelt in her from conception, and the intervention of God the Father, were directed towards her son being the Son of God. Mary, in contemplation, was introduced into the life of God; now those mysteries in which she had participated thanks to the Holy Spirit become her lot, thanks to the possibility of expressing them in human words and thanks to the action of God himself. The mysteries, however, remain mysteries, and, hidden in human flesh, they become even greater than they were. To justify her mission’s close link to the history of salvation, the angel gives her the address of Zechariah’s house, where Elizabeth is expecting a son. A barren and older woman, by the grace of God, received the gift of motherhood. For nothing is impossible with God.
And Elizabeth, your relative, has also given birth to a son in her old age. This is the sixth month. And she was said to be barren! For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:36-37).
Mary’s answer was simple:
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her › Luke 1:38.
It is the most important decision a woman has made in the history of humanity. She decided in prayer. Mary is a master in the school of prayer. She understands prayer as a constant collaboration with God. According to her, praying means being at God’s disposal.
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