4^th Sunday of Advent [December 24, 2017] Luke 1:26-38

“…my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness… (Luk 1:47-48).”

Luke has a poignant and unique way in narrating the story of the Annunciation. He deliberately places the story of Zachariah and of Mary side by side, and lets his readers see both stories in comparison. The first story speaks of a holy man who serves in the Temple. Zachariah is a symbol of the ideal Israelite who stands at the center of the holy ground. The second story speaks of an ordinary woman who lives in Nazareth, a small town far from the center. In a patriarchal society, Mary is a symbol of the poor and marginalized Israelite who is pushed to the peripheries. Angel Gabriel appears to both, and God does marvelous deeds for both. Yet, the Annunciation to Mary turns to be far more excellent. The Angel greets Mary with the title of honor, the highly favored one, while the angel does not even greet Zachariah. The Angel makes Zachariah mute because of his doubt, but he assures Mary when she is confused. The conception of John the Baptist is done through natural means, while the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary takes place through the supernatural way. Zachariah and Elizabeth represent the outstanding God’s marvel in the Old Testament like when God opened the womb of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and Hannah, the mother of Samuel, despite their old age and barrenness. Yet, what happens to Mary surpasses and outshines these Old Testament miracles.

Reading through the Old Testament books and comparing to the story of Zachariah, we discover that the Annunciation to Mary stands at the summit. Never before, an angel will give honor to a mere mortal. Never before, God will highly favor an ordinary human. Yet, what makes it even marvelous is God’s choice of Mary who is a poor, young woman coming from the insignificant town. God chooses practically a “nobody” to become the mother of His Son. Therefore, Mary’s canticle or the “Magnificat” is not a cute little song, but turns to be the poignant testimony of God’s power on His lowly servant, “…my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness… (Luk 1:47-48).”

The story of Annunciation becomes a powerful sign for all of us. We, like Mary, often feel that we are weak and hopeless with so many problems in life. We are bullied by our classmates, officemates, or even society because of our uniqueness and talent. We feel that we are insignificant because we produce so little and achieve nothing. Yet, God never abandons us. In fact, He works His wonders in time when we feel that we are nothing.

A newly ordained Dominican priest confesses that he did a lot of foolish things, he did not finish his college and squandered his life. His life was truly a mess and he was a failure. Nowhere to go, he decided to enter the seminary. Yet, things slowly began to fall into place, and he took that second chance seriously. He excelled in his studies, and became a good seminarian. Finally, he was deemed to be worthy of the priesthood. In his thanksgiving mass, he thanks the Lord for undoing his failure, and he professes that in his greatest weakness, God has shone brightly. Like Mary, we are called to discover God’s mighty deeds in our lives, and to proclaim it to the world.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP