Luke’s account of the Annunciation is one of the Gospel’s most familiar passages. It’s read on a number of major feasts and Sundays. However God speaks through these words, we can always hear them in a new way and with new depth.
Luke’s portrait of the Annunciation is carefully drawn to make clear that what is about to take place – the conception and birth of Jesus – is totally God’s work. When Mary wonders how this can come about, God communicates through the angel: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
This is something done by God.
Mary catches on. Later on in the Magnifcat, she prays, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord . . . for he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness . . . the Mighty One has done great things for me.”
This refers to your life too. Make no mistake about it. What good I do is not my own work. Rather, I’m doing the work of the Lord.
Something to think about.
- Little Blue Book, December 20