Advent is a special time to commemorate the Annunciation, for the Annunciation is a decisive moment in human history. Oddly enough, that moment does not occur when the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she would conceive and bear the physical reality of God in her womb. This announcement is not decisive because it is not a divine command. Rather, Gabriel informs Mary of an event that is contingent upon her agreement. Therefore, the decisive moment occurs when Mary acknowledges and accepts her role as the mother of Jesus. Her acceptance is decisive because it inaugurates the earthly mission of Jesus, who comes as the Son of God that we may have life more abundantly, both here and hereafter in his eternal kingdom (LK1:30-35; Jn 10:10).
The significance of Mary’s acceptance inspired St. John Paul II to assert an inseparable connection between the Annunciation and the Eucharist itself. In his view, this spiritual connection begins with Mary’s acceptance that reflected the way she lived her earthly life—with humble response, joyful cooperation, and from this moment on, with complete love in union with the Word of God. John Paul defined Mary’s life in terms of a living Eucharist and model for how we too can live in union with Christ (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 55 ff).
Mary herself gives voice to this union at the Visitation when she says to Elizabeth, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name.” (Lk 1:46-49).
With these words, Mary becomes the first evangelizer, bearing in her womb the Word made flesh and bringing that Word to Elizabeth and the baby John. This occasion also reveals Mary as the first “tabernacle” wherein the Son of God remained invisible to human eyes, all the while radiating his divine light through her eyes and voice. Like Mary, we too are living tabernacles of the Lord who remains invisible and hidden in our hearts. Thus, like Mary, we too can be the eyes and voice of Jesus in our relationship with others.
From the beginning, Mary understood that Jesus came for others, especially the stranger, the foreigner, the oddly dressed, the downtrodden, the sinner. She also understood that Jesus encounters us most often in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. Perhaps this is why she and Joseph lived very ordinary lives with Jesus for the first 30 years of his life. Mary’s whole life demonstrates that Jesus is our ever-present, devoted companion who sheds light on our own way of life and helps us shed that light for others.
This is the spiritual legacy we have inherited from our Blessed Mother. Her humble response and devotion to her son Jesus is a model for our own way of life—pursuing God’s will in union with Christ. Mary lived out the two great commandments—love of God and love of neighbor. If we follow Mary’s example, our union with Jesus will transform our daily lives in a way that continues into eternity. To that end, our Advent prayer is to always hold Jesus in our hearts and share him with others, especially with those who need him most.
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