"Peace to Mary. The Lord is with you. Gabriel said that you are a jewel among the women. In you we can see God. You carried Him in your stomach, who carried the world." (Translation of Hoothomo that is sung at the dismissal after the Holy Qurbana)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus
In the Gospel reading we heard on Sunday, we heard the angel Gabriel bringing a very astounding news to Mary. She who is a girl betrothed to be married will bear a son who is to be called Jesus, the Son of the Most High. And this will happen through the Holy Spirit. And Mary submits herself to the plans of the Most High God.
Mary has been a subject for many poets, artists, sculptors, writers and theologians. In our homes, more than anyone else, we find icons of Mary adorning our walls. Songs and hymns have been dedicated in her honor, and churches, seminaries, monasteries and shrines have been erected in her blessed memory. Miracles have been ascribed to her intercessions, and special services and prayers are written for her. She is known as the Queen of Heaven, the Mediatrix and, most importantly, the Theotokos.
Liturgical hymns speak of her as the flower that bore the fruit, the Golden censor, the New Jerusalem, the ewe that bore the lamb, and her womb is said to be more spacious than the heavens. She is said to be more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim. Her memory is invoked at every liturgical service. Mary is certainly very special to Christians and will always be remembered for being the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. During the Christmas Season, she is officially commemorated on December 26th, which is called Praises (Synaxis) of the Theotokos.
God’s grand plan for our salvation involved incarnating the Word of God into the flesh, for God to become like one of us. And this would happen in a way that was both miraculous and understandable. The understandable part was that He would come into the world as a new-born baby. The miraculous part was that the conception would be by the Holy Spirit, an immaculate conception. And a woman would bear God’s Son in her womb and give birth to Him. So, God would bring His Son into the world through one of us.
The Virgin Mary was the woman that God selected for this task. Tradition says that she was born in a miraculous way to elderly parents named Joachim and Anna. When she was three years old, she was taken to the temple by her parents and given to the service of the Lord. After being raised in the temple for ten years, she found herself living in a small town called Nazareth, where she was betrothed (engaged) to a man named Joseph.
It is however very ironic, that while Mary is very prominent in the birth narratives, she is only mentioned a few times in the entire New Testament. While her name is never specifically mentioned, she intervened at the first miracle that Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee where Jesus changed water into wine (See John 2:3-5). Jesus who was not ready to perform a miracle, performs a miracle out of obedience to His mother. He performs the miracle which is the first of series of miracles in the Gospel of John.
In Luke 8:19-21, she is mentioned together with Jesus' family. She is also mentioned by the evangelist John as one of the persons standing at the foot of the cross together with John the beloved disciple (See John 19:25-27). In the Book of Acts 1:14, Mary is with the other disciples in the upper room after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Apostle Paul in his letter to Galatians refers to her as the mother of Jesus, though does not specifically mention her by name (Gal. 4:4-7).
However, if we read the birth narratives carefully, we understand that she has a role, secondary only to that of Jesus. The Lord used her as His instrument of redemption and salvation. When Mary was called to give birth to the Savior of the World, we do not know if she answered with fear or with confidence. But we do know that she ANSWERED by placing herself as the handmaiden of the Lord.
One of the most beautiful hymns in the Orthodox Church is the Magnifact. The Magnifact is taken directly from the first chapter of Luke's Gospel. When Mary visits Elizabeth, Elizabeth, who is already six months pregnant, realizes that Mary is carrying a very special child. She tells Mary, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she so believed that there would be fulfillment of what was spoken of her from the Lord."
Mary responded to Elizabeth with the following words:
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold all generations will call me blessed;
For He who is mighty has done great things for me
And Holy is His name
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation
He has shown strength with His arm
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts
He has put down the mighty from their thrones
And exalted those of low degree
He has filled the hungry with good things
And the rich He has sent away empty
He has helped His servant Israel
In remembrance of His mercy
As He spoke to our fathers
To Abraham and to his posterity forever." (Luke 1:46-55)
These words remind us of God's generous love toward His people. He exalts the humble and the lowly, and He brings down the mighty and the powerful, themes which are woven throughout the Old Testament. The Magnifact also echoes a very important Old Testament text which is found in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Here,the once barren Hannah offers a prayer to God in thanksgiving for bearing a son with her husband Elknah. Her son is not just any child, but Samuel who will grow up to be one of the first prophets of the Old Testament. Samuel also is the one who anointed David to be king.
These are some of the lessons we learn from Mary. God calls everyone to something in his/her life. There is no one who is uncalled. Have you heard God's call in your life? Have you answered the call? How have you answered the call?
Throughout the Scriptures, the biblical God uses the which is broken in the world as a tool for working out His salvation. He uses the barren Sarah in order to produce Isaac; Be uses an orphan Israelite child named Moses to be the giver of the Law; He uses a young virgin girl named Mary to bear the Word of God, and He uses the Pharisee Saul who persecuted Christians who later became the first among the Apostles. With God everything is possible.
We also learn that just as Mary was part of God's plan for our salvation, we, too, are part of God's plan for our salvation God has provided the path to salvation. He has even provided the means to go down the path—the church, the scriptures, the clergy, etc. But we have to walk down the path ourselves. We work in concert with God in order to attain salvation.
Mary is the model of what we are supposed to be, because she said YES to the call of God. May we follow her example! Mary is called Theotokos, meaning, “God-bearer.” We are called to be the same!
"O Mary, Virgin, beautiful and daughter of David, I am unable to describe your history. O Mary, daughter of David, to those who are near and dear to you, bliss to all. O Mary, daughter of David, you are brought up by the priests and in maturity entrusted you to the Just Joseph. O daughter of David, you are a jewel among women. You are worthy of praise, the fruit of your womb is holy. O Mary, daughter of David, in your feast day, heaven and earth together rejoice. Your praise be a refuge to us." (Rough translation of the Catholic Hymn sung on day commemorated as Annunciation to the Mother of God)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner.
