Mary, Mother of our Lord Sunday

August 12, A.D. 2007


Permission Granted


In the very beginning, God did exactly as he pleased and he needed no one’s permission. On his own initiative he spoke creation into being, the brought forth the heavens and the earth, the seas, the stars, the mountains, and the flowers of the field. They were his incredibly beautiful design, and he personally designed every flower of the field and every star in the sky exactly as he saw fit. It was totally his initiative and he needed no permission whatsoever. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet God said: “I am He, I am the first and the last. My hand laid the foundation of the earth and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them they stand forth together. I am the Lord, who made all things, who stretched out the heavens alone, who spread out the earth – who was with me.” He then breathed life into the dust of the ground and Adam was created in the very image of the creator. He then placed creation into human hands and said “Behold I give you every plant and tree and every beast which moves upon the earth.” What an incredible beginning! What a gift! Sadly, it didn’t last long. Created in God’s image, humanity had freedom of choice and, from almost the beginning, the choice was to reject God and take over what he had created. The result was death that, in an instant, crept into the landscape of God’s creation. God didn’t created death – we gave death permission to enter creation. So, what was God to do? Start over? He tried that once in Noah’s flood, but that certainly didn’t last long. He brought his chosen people out of Egypt, gave them the law at Sinai, and led them into the Promised Land. That didn’t work, and before long God was once more rejected. So, what was God to do? Walk away and let humanity stew in its own juice? God is love, and God could not simply chalk creation up to a bad idea. So, what was God to do? He came to the conclusion that the only way to save us was to become one of us – to experience everything we experience – even to the point of experiencing death. And, believe it or not, as preposterous as it may seem, the God who spoke creation into being now had to have humanity’s permission to save it. So, he sent the angel Gabriel to a little town called Nazareth to a young woman named Mary. She was, perhaps, fourteen or fifteen years old, she was engaged to an older man, and her life was all set. She was certainly not royalty, she was not wealthy, and, in fact, was probably one of the obscure ones in society. Can you imagine Mary’s astonishment when this angel appears and says: “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you.” No wonder she hadn’t a clue as to what in the world that meant. How would you or I feel if an angel showed up on our doorstep? It had to be a very scary moment. No doubt Mary wondered what this meant, and what God wanted of her. When you think about it, that in itself is pretty scary. Then Gabriel gets to the point: “Do not be afraid, Mary for you have found favor with God.” Well, so far so good. How nice to find favor with God. Then Gabriel hits the nail on the head: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name 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 Father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” What a preposterous message! No wonder Mary stammers back: How shall this be, since I have no husband?” In the first place, what would Joseph think? Here is his young fiancé, expecting a child? Besides that, in those days, young women who were found to be with child outside of marriage were taken outside the city limits and stoned to death. Besides that, it was an absurd plan. God, the creator, becoming one of us, even accepting the vulnerability of death? Madeleine L’Engle once wrote: “Cribb’d cabined, and confined within the contours of a human infant? The infinite defined by the finite? The creator of all life thirsty and abandoned? Why would he do such a thing? Aren’t there easier and better ways for God to redeem his fallen creatures?” (Madeleine L’Engle: The Irrational Season, page 18.) Mary found herself on the horns of a dilemma, and the choice was hers. I wonder if the angels in heaven didn’t hold their breath while waiting for Mary to give God permission to save the world. Then Mary uttered the words that would save the world: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; Let it be to me according to your word.” Permission granted. At that instant in time, eternity stepped in and God’s plan of salvation went into action. Easy for Mary? Hardly! Giving birth to a child in a stable – having to flee to Egypt to save his life – watching helplessly at the foot of the cross when this Son of God who was supposed to reign forever was dying an agonizing death? Yet, Mary granted permission for God to save you and me. Pope John Paul II was devoted to Mary and he wrote: “Mary has gone before us on the way of faith: believing the angel’s message, she was the first to welcome the mystery of the Incarnation and did so perfectly…Hers was a daring faith. At the Annunciation she believed what was humanly impossible. Mary teaches Christians to live their faith as a demanding and engaging journey, which in every age and situation of life, requires courage and constant perseverance.” (John Paul II. A Marian Treasury, page14) On this Sunday of Mary, Mother of Our Lord, we are challenged by Mary’s faith and her courage to say yes to God and to give him permission to save the world. Does God need our permission to do his work of salvation and redemption in this troubled world? Does he need our permission, does he need us to say “Let it be to us according to your Word?” Better think about it in a few minutes when we pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Amen