What We Read, We Celebrate!

In lieu of my usual ramblings on issues close to my heart, allow me instead to share with you an experience that lies at the very heart of the season we celebrate.

We read in Luke 1:26-27,

“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.”

What we do not read, but celebrate is that Mary, the mother of our Lord, was born in a town called Nazareth, and that this town was so obscure, the first recorded use of the word “Nazareth” was in the New Testament.

Nazareth, in our Lord’s time, was in all likelihood the pre-Christian equivalent of Hicksville.

We read in Luke 1:28-33,

“And coming to her, he said, ‘Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’”

What we read, but do not celebrate often enough is that the Angel Gabriel reminds Mary that there is no need to be afraid. Whether this is proof that angels are beautiful beyond belief, or something else, is beside the point. But there is no need to be afraid. Unless to you, looks are everything. In which case, fear would be the least of your problems.

We read in Luke 1: 34-38,

“But Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’ And the angel said to her in reply, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.’ Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’

What we read, but do not celebrate often enough, is that after a series of startling revelations, emphasized by the altogether terrific news that Elizabeth has conceived a son despite her barrenness, is Mary’s simple reply: ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’

And so, in the spirit of Christmas, we celebrate the wonderful assent that led to the birth of our Lord. That from a hick town in Galilee, visited by an unearthly being of either surpassing beauty or surpassing something, despite a series of surprises that smack of what we would call fantasy or science-fiction, Mama Mary said “Yes!” to the will of the living God.

And so, we have Christmas. Let us continually remind ourselves that some of the most beautiful things in life happen when we find the courage to say, without qualification or adornment, "Yes!"

Acknowledgments:

Readings are from The New American Bible.