Who turned out the lights?

“And the angel departed her.” (Luke 1:38)

Have you ever had this feeling? You get these great prayer experiences, know that God is working in your life, and nothing can go wrong. But then, suddenly, these awesome experiences are gone and God is nowhere to be found. It happens to me constantly.

Let’s take another look at Mary now, in the narrative of the Annunciation. “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed her.” (Lk 1:38)

Just as soon as Mary is told that she is to have a child through the work of the Holy Spirit, without having relations with a man, she is left all alone. As soon as she says yes, the angel of the Lord is nowhere to be found.

This portion of the narrative shows us that Mary can relate to us when we enter those dark times of prayer. She has been where we are today, and knows exactly what we are going through. And she went through these dark times more than once. She also felt it when her son was suffering for us, and when he left us, descending to Hell to preach the Gospel there. And then when Jesus ascended into Heaven, she was left alone again. But each time she had others with her. When she was young, she had her parents, Sts. Anne and Joachim. And, when she was older at the Ascension, she had the Apostles with her to care for her. So we find that no matter how far God may seem, God is actually still there with us—we can easily find God in the ones we love and who love us, especially our Blessed Mother.

I have always heard that it is in the darkest times that we find our best prayer experiences. Because it is then that we are trying the hardest to pray.

I can't do this...

“How can this be?” (Lk 1: 34)

Mary’s decision to become the Mother of God truly was a emptying of self, but it was not an easy one for her. We see in the narrative of the Annunciation that she was “greatly troubled” (Lk 1:29), as the calling that was being given to her was not exactly one to be expected. She was a young girl, technically single, and chosen to mother the Son of God. “How can this be, since I have no husband?” she asks the angel (v.34). “And the angel said to her, ‘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” (v. 35).

I know that if I was told this, I wouldn’t know what to say. Think about it. How was she supposed to explain this to her parents? Nonetheless, she went along with it, as it was God’s will. How often do we find ourselves in situations that seem near impossible? How often does it seem that God expects us to do something out of our control, or even something that will distract us from caring for our own personal health? He never will do this. St Augustine said that God can never ask us to do what we cannot, as that would be leading us into sin, something in direct contradiction of God’s nature. He will always be sure that we will be able to accomplish our calling, just like he did with Mary, filling her with grace (cf. v.28). So whenever we find ourselves in a troubling, near impossible situation, we always have a Mother to turn to.

Mary's Gift of Self

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

These words of Mary to the angel Gabriel during the Annunciation are probably the best example of living life. They are a living example of the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). It is in these words that we see Mary, at such a young age, turning herself over to God completely. It is here that she makes the complete “gift of self”, not only for God but for all of mankind.

Emptying one’s self is exactly what was lived by the life of Christ. And this is no surprise, looking at the life his mother lived. But Christ went as far as to wash the feet of his disciples. Could you ever do that?

We are all called to empty ourselves daily. And many are called to do it as Mary did—marriage and childbearing. These two acts, which work hand-in-hand, are only possible with the total gift of self. You give up a lot of personal freedom, in a manner of speaking, when you marry someone. You bring two lives together into one life—physically, spiritually, mentally and monetarily. And, as if that was not enough, you further put your life on the line whenever you have children. Children take up years of your time and bundles of your money. And why do we do this? Why did Mary give up her life for the salvation of so many? Why did she choose to endure the pain and anguish that she so long endured during our Lord’s Passion? It brought God to life in our lost world. That is why she made the total gift of self.