Today’s
Gospel Text: In the sixth month the
angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said,
"Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at
the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive
in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the
house of Jacob for ever;
and
of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel,
"How shall this be, since I have no husband?" 35 And 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 called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your kinswoman
Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month
with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be
impossible." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I
am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And
the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26-38
Reflection: Why
is the young Mary referred to as a virgin by Holy Scripture, was she not a
virgin even otherwise or rather is it not to be presumed?
Though
she was a virgin, the scripture also gives us an insight into the mind of Mary;
she knew what would affect her virginity when she asks angel Gabriel; “"How shall this be, since I have no husband?" (vs. 34)
In
subsequent passage we see that what sets her aside, in a specific sense, is also
her virginity preserved from any corruption to be the perfect vessel of grace;
favored one!
There can be many in this world who could be virgins too; virgins
either due to circumstances or to be preserved for their husbands and yet may never be virgins in the depth of their hearts.
Tradition
teaches us that Mary was pledged by her mother to serve in the temple (I Sam. 2: 22) and hence at the age of
three she remained in the temple, like Anna the prophetess (Lk. 2:36-37).
This can be well attested by a Patristic source called the 'Protoevangelium
of James' (120 AD) which claims that Mary served in the temple and when she had matured in age and due to temple purification laws and in order to preserve her virginity she was married off
to an elderly widower with children. This Joseph was considered to be an honorable man by the temple authorities.
Hence
this could be the reason why the gospels are much silent on Joseph, as he may have
died early. Likewise the brothers of Jesus mentioned in scriptures are those of
his foster father Joseph from his earlier marriage. Besides James, this is explicitly attested
by Origen and Hilary of Poitiers among the early church fathers.
On
the other hand there is also a popular belief that Jesus' brothers were his
cousins. This belief came into existence later in the church after St.
Jerome first proposed it in the 4th century.
Whatever
school of thought one may hold on to, the early church never doubted Mary’s
virginity both before and after the birth of Jesus and the scriptural
references in the gospel which could lead one to doubt her perpetual virginity,
has to be read in the light of this tradition to understand its true meaning.
Thus what we learn from Mary's dedicates life is this: A
consecration of one’s fecundity in order to serve God is the greatest honor one
can give God the giver of all life.
Prayer: Lord,
may the consecration of the many who serve you bring forth life in the church and
new converts into your kingdom. Mary, Immaculate mother; pray for us.
DD = Dedicated
Discipleship: Come grow
in the Lord with us
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