Hail Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with you
We pray with these words every day. It is good to know where they are rooted. These are the words of an angel sent by God to Mary. Beautiful words with a beautiful message. Who of us would not like to hear such words? "The Lord is with you", "full of grace"; The literal Greek words Chaire kecharitomene mean "rejoice, completely immersed in grace." In the Greek kecharitomene, one can see a picture of the conception of a human being in the womb. As a developing child is hidden in the womb, so Mary is overwhelmed with grace.
But the mystery of being embraced by grace is not only about Mary. This is a mystery that applies to each of us. Grace - God's gift - precedes everything. It is already present in the very mystery of our creation, when we received from God a breath, ruach, or spirit. God is first in the mystery of our life; He is before us. From him we are born, he is the source of our being.
This has huge practical consequences. Consider how we live our relationship with God. When I ask people about this, they usually try to make a short examination of their conscience towards God: do they pray, go to church on Sundays, do they perform acts of mercy, etc. And yet God is not Someone outside, someone stranger to whom we must demonstrate our reliability in keeping the law and commandments. He is in our lives before we do! We grow out of Him. The question about our relationship with God is a question about our connection to him: do we draw from him, do we open ourselves to his grace, or do we listen to his word, which is the word of life? Our prayers, Sunday Mass. they are to grow out of this rooting in God and strengthening it.
When we see God only through the prism of our obligations, it means that we have not yet discovered something in ourselves: the mystery of His presence in us, a presence that is earlier than our memory reaches, than we came into existence.
Note: Mary was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be (Luke 1:29). This truth - heard - is surprising. This is because it is completely beyond our ordinary thinking. It seems that we are the hosts ourselves, while everything and everyone else is outside of us. And then we suddenly discover that we are like a little child in the womb of our mother, immersed in God's grace, in God's hands. How different is the world then!
Well, we are filled with grace by God in Christ in the heavenly places (See Eph 1:36). This means that we are the household of heaven and the adoptive children of God! This is the truth that completely knocks us down. It exceeds our understanding.
But of course, the question arises: what exactly does this mean and how will it be realized in our lives? Note that this is what Mary asked in relation to the angel's further message: How can this be, since I have no relations with a man? The Angel replied: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you (Lk 1:34-35). This power that once brought us into existence, the same power will make us fully conscious children of God. How is this happening?
Here we encounter a fundamental difficulty for us. The grace we receive builds a new life in us, in the heavenly places. It does not simply mean prosper in this world. We would imagine that grace would make our life easier, ensure security and prosperity, health and human kindness. This is what we usually wish for during holidays and personal celebrations. But we often experience difficulties, unkindness, suffering, deficiency in our lives ... How can we reconcile this with grace, with this embrace by a loving Father?
Let us look at Mary, who was "full of grace", "completely immersed in grace". What was her life like? She gave birth to a beloved son in a roadside grotto, "because there was no place for them in the inn". What did it mean for a mother to give birth to her child not at home, but somewhere in a random place, without the usual family setting? It is enough to compare the birth of John the Baptist with the birth of Jesus. How much joy in the whole family, discussion of the name, etc. The whole family participated in this event. And here? Loneliness, a strange place, lack of human kindness. Next: flight to Egypt, into the unknown, to an exile from the torturer, return to Nazareth, poor life, the fate of a widow, and finally the drama and death of her Son, the mocking remarks of the people regarding her ... Where is grace here? Where is the dignity of the Queen Mother?
But let us notice how strangely it was in this fate, so dramatic and humanly completely inconsistent with the royal fate, that she was the most fully Mother and Queen, because she had a full share in the fate of her Son. It was from the cross, which became his throne, that he gave her to us as a Mother, and our Queen. The fullness of grace was so fulfilled in her life. Let us not be surprised that grace in our lives does not mean prosperity as we have imagined. But grace does not necessarily have to bring with it misfortunes, drama and hardships. It only means that these difficult experiences are not contrary to grace. Sirach wrote: My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, and do not be impetuous in time of adversity. Cling to him, do not leave him, that you may prosper in your last days. Accept whatever happens to you; in periods of humiliation be patient. For in fire gold is tested, and the chosen, in the crucible of humiliation. Trust in God, and he will help you; make your ways straight and hope in him. (cf. Sirach 2:1-6)
The scene of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary has a huge burden for us. Every day we pray the "Hail Mary" not only in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but because in this scene we touch the deepest truth about us. God surrounds us, not only her, with his grace and wants us to accept him. We remember the words of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel in response to the news that his family has come and wants to talk to him: “Who are my mother and [my] brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. [For] whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (cf. Mk 3:33-35)
This was most fully realized during the Annunciation when Mary replied, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. " (Luke 1:38) She was faithful to this word all her life. Her response has since become a model of human response to God's call. St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, "about obedience in faith. It is precisely this that allows God to act in us and even be born in us. It allows us to change our heart to the likeness of His Son, to fill us with all the gifts "in the heavenly places in Christ"
Until Tomorrow
fr. george