Mary was truly free to decide

God used infinite tactfulness when He decided that the day had come to reveal to Mary her vocation and mission. Indeed, if He had wanted to force her to say “yes,” He would have chosen a more spectacular apparition. He could even have appeared in person, on the top of a mountain, in a clap of thunder. But in that case would Mary have been truly free to decide for herself?

Who could say “no” to God if He appeared in all His majesty? So, God chose to send an angel to deliver His message discreetly in the privacy of her own home. Mary was able to say "yes" without any outside pressure whatsoever. God tends to communicate in simple ways: a fruitful encounter with someone or a providential Bible reading, for example. We, too, receive the visit of “angels”—literally the word “angels” means "messengers." If Scripture and the sacraments nourish our spiritual lives we will undoubtedly recognize God’s voice communicating His will.

Mary shares our common humanity. Her reaction is very natural and at the same time supernatural: she is troubled and afraid. Her religious obedience does not exclude prudence, so she dares to ask: "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" Her question reveals the confidence of a daughter of Israel who knows that one can ask anything of the God. It is also the mark of intimacy, since Mary alludes to her emotional and private life. Finally, it should be noted that her question anticipates the common rationalist objection of the biological impossibility of this conception. The Gospel hides nothing!

Clearly, Mary holds a unique place in Salvation History. God’s way of revealing Mary’s vocation to her and the way Mary responded can apply to each and everyone of us. God’s Word came to Mary—and comes to us as well—in order to take flesh.

Adapted from an article by Brother Jean-Thomas de Beauregard, op – Published in Aleteia on 19/12/20