Mary had faith
In a world where we look for the rationale explanation foreverything, faith is often forgotten about. In Luke 1:35 it tells us, “The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”. Mary must have been bewildered by this but she believed the angel and humbly responded to him, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”( Luke 1:38)
Not everyone has the faith that Mary had and in contrast to Mary’s meek acceptance of God’s plan for her the priest Zechariah, who became the father of John the Baptist, doubted his word .
When the Angel Gabriel also appeared to Zechariah and foretold that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son, Zechariah questioned him because of his age and that of his wife’s and because he doubted the Angel Gabriel’s word sent to him by God, Zechariah became unable to speak until the day of John the Baptist’s birth.
During the visitation of Elizabeth by Mary her cousin, Elizabeth further confirms Mary’s faithfulness referring to her as, “blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her”.(Luke 1:45)
Mary lived her life as a servant of God.
Mary responds to Gabriel with the powerful words, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled”. (Luke 1:38)
Through Mary’s willingness to serve God we have an example of what St Paul’s later requests of us, “to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God”. (Romans 12:1)
In Mary we have a lesson of service and faith, sentiments which are very much echoed in the Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Martin last Sunday as he calls us to be of service to all and to ensure we have a more dynamic church. Mary is a lesson to us all as we embark on our Synodal pathway.