Mary, Full of Grace

As we begin Advent, once again my thoughts turn to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Mary’s visit from the angel Gabriel and the life-changing news that accompanied that visit is especially relevant to me this year since Mary was most likely the age of our oldest granddaughter, Emily, when she had this unconventional visit.

Granted the cultural norms and traditions of that time were very different from now but she was still a young teen. No matter the place or time, there are commonalities in the psyche of all young teenage girls.

Budding independence, self-consciousness, insecurity, and doubt are just a few of the traits that describe a young teen. Imagine Mary dealing with those things and then finding out she is going to have a baby, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, who is going to be the Son of God, the promised Messiah.

It makes her “fiat” even that much more awe inspiring. Her “yes” under those circumstances is something that is hard to process. The depth of her faith and trust in her God, and the courage it took to surrender and be open to whatever came next, can only be explained by grace and the Holy Spirit.

Mary’s first reaction to Gabriel showed her questioning, curious, and I imagine a bit frightened, state of mind. “How can this be since I have had no relations with a man?” Luke 1:34

A powerful transformation takes place in Mary. Her next words to the angel reflect the depth of her faith and trust in her God. “Behold I am a handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

The pause between those two responses was the sacred space where grace and the Holy Spirit went into action, transforming Mary’s fear and doubt into calm assurance and surrender.

We can learn so much from Mary on how to handle those times when life’s announcements aren’t what we planned on, those times when we are asked/forced to say yes when faced with hard to believe circumstances. We can learn from Mary the importance of allowing for that sacred space where grace and the Holy Spirit can act to transform us and bring us peace.

Let’s use this time of Advent to focus on Mary, that young girl who just might have the key to the peace, acceptance, and surrender we have been looking for in our own lives.

I guess a young teenage girl can teach us something.

Don’t tell Emily I said that.

Joan