Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of our Lord.
In the gospel of today’s Mass, we hear the Angel Gabriel bringing God’s message of salvation to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). We hear Gabriel greet Mary as God’s favored one and explain to Mary her calling. We hear Mary’s “I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word” uttered in perfect obedience. And we know that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb at the moment that Mary gave her consent.
Of course, we also hear Mary’s confusion and trepidation. God was certainly asking a lot from Mary. But God also bestowed upon Mary the grace needed to respond to his call as we hear in Gabriel’s greeting to Mary – “Hail, full of grace”. So, with utmost trust in God, Mary embraced that God-given grace and took a great leap of faith into the unknown. Mary’s response and her self-identification as God’s handmaid is a testament to her selflessness, her trust, her obedience, and her faith. And by surrendering herself to God’s will and carrying Jesus into the world, Mary affirms Gabriel’s message that “nothing is impossible for God”.
Like Mary, we are also chosen by God. God calls us – maybe not in the dramatic fashion that he called Mary – but he calls us for our own particular role and purpose. And, like Mary, God fills us with the grace necessary to respond to his call. Like Mary, we are filled with a grace that allows us to respond to what God asks of us even when it seems beyond our ability, even when it might seem impossible.
The British author Carryll Houselander remarks, “Mary said ‘yes’ for the human race. Each one of us must echo that ‘yes’…each one of us must empty ourselves and surrender ourselves to God and allow Jesus to fill the emptiness formed by the particular shape of our life.”
Indeed, to make room for God’s grace we must empty ourselves. We must empty ourselves of unnecessary distractions and preoccupations. We must empty ourselves of unwarranted anxieties and worries. We must empty ourselves of misplaced pride and ambitions. We must empty ourselves of self-righteousness and self-seeking. We must empty ourselves of intolerance and judgment. We must empty ourselves so that God can fill us up.
So, we continue onward, emptied vessels ready to receive God’s grace. And then, as God fills us, we consent to God’s plan for us even amidst our fears and uncertainty. As God fills us, we respond like Mary: “may it be done according to your word”. As God fills us, we look outward from ourselves to help fill others, to help others achieve the wholeness of life that God intends for all. As God fills us, we help God accomplish his work in the world. We help others see that no matter what they might need emptying of or rescuing from, “nothing is impossible for God”.