Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

— 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 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 holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Mary speaks words that make the heart sing: “let it be with me according to your word.” With this simple sentence, Mary of Nazareth says yes, not to something she fully understands, but to someone she completely trusts.

What a mystery this moment must have been for her. She was a young woman, poor and likely a teenager, who suddenly found herself entrusted with a vital role in the salvation of the world. She was afraid and perplexed by the angel’s greeting. But rather than react in fear, Mary pondered. She reflected deeply, allowing the mystery to settle in her heart.

This is not a passive acceptance, but profound attentiveness. Mary teaches us that when we don’t understand, we are called to ponder and to trust that in God’s time, with God’s peace, light will begin to dawn.

Mary’s ‘yes’ is not just a historical moment; it is a model for every Christian life. She shows us what it means to hear the word of God, receive it with open hands and heart, and then bear it into the world. Her faith is not abstract; it is incarnational, lived day by day through uncertainty, suffering, joy, and perseverance.

Mary became the first disciple, the first to carry Christ within her. Through her, we learn what it means to let God dwell in us. What was uniquely hers, that is, to be the Mother of God, is, in a different way, our calling, too. Like Mary, we are called to bear Christ to the world through the power of the Spirit.

And like Mary, our response is not about having all the answers but about trusting the one who calls.

Mary’s ‘yes’ is the yes of faith, the yes of prayer, the yes of trusting in God’s love.