Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord

 

The scripture for this reflection can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/122019.cfm

 

All this week we have been hearing in the gospel different narratives of the coming of Jesus into the world.

On Tuesday we heard the genealogy of Jesus Christ, who Matthew indicates is the son of David, the Son of Abraham. This genealogy starts with Abraham and ends with, “Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.”

In Wednesday’s gospel we hear of the angel visiting Joseph in his sleep and telling him of Mary being pregnant. Since he assumed that Mary became pregnant by someone else, he was all set to divorce her quietly. But once the angel explained to him that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit, Joseph took Mary into his home and became the foster father of our Lord.

Yesterday, we heard of how Elizabeth became pregnant with John the Baptist, and how John’s father, Zachariah, couldn’t believe that his wife, Elizabeth, advanced in years, could possibly be pregnant. Due to his doubting the angel, he became mute until the day John was born.

Today, we have the beautiful story of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her that she’ll be the mother of the Savior. She was startled at first, but once it was explained to her how it was to come about, she gave her “Yes”: “May it be done to me according to your word.”

Both Joseph and Mary were open to God’s will in their lives. The gospel describes Joseph as a righteous man, meaning that he was attempting to live his life according to God’s will. As a result, he was blessed to be the foster father and protector of Jesus Christ.

Mary, upon reflecting on the angel’s words to her, was ready and willing to do God’s Will and bring our Savior into the world. As a result of her yes, salvation came into the world through Jesus Christ.

We are all called to imitate Joseph and Mary in our response to God. Both knew that things may become difficult in saying yes to God, but they trusted that God will be with them in all that will happen to them, good times and rough times. We are all called to bring Christ into the world and share our faith in Jesus Christ with those in our family or friends to help them know the love and peace that can only come from God.

Let us, like Mary, say, “Behold, I am the handmaid (servant) of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”