THE WORD
America
Copyright America Press 1999.
Response and Gift
Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 19, 1999
Readings: 2 Sam. 7:1-5, 8, 12, 14, 16; Ps. 89:2-5, 27-29; Rom. 16:25-27; Lk. 1:26-38
"The power of the most high will overshadow you" (Lk 1:35)
As Advent draws to a close, Mary, the third figure of expectation, occupies center stage. Today's Gospel also provides a transition and introduction to the Christmas cycle, which extends to Epiphany. Apart from Epiphany and one Christmas Mass, the readings are taken from Luke's carefully composed infancy narratives, which also foreshadow the major themes of his Gospel and Acts: Jesus Savior and Messiah (2:11); his prophetic mission (2:31-35); the outpouring of God's spirit (1:15, 35; 41; 67); joy over God's actions (1:14, 44, 47; 2:1); the presence and importance of women in God's saving action (1:27-55; 2:22-52); God's concern for the poor and the marginal (1:52-53); and the forgiveness of sin (1:77). Luke arranges these narratives around two diptychs of John and Jesus, each comprising two narratives of annunciation and conception, and of birth, naming and promise of future greatness. This careful composition and theological density is in tension with the Lectionary use of Luke 1 and 2 since sections are excerpted, often out of context. True appropriation and proclamation of these Gospels requires attention to the Gospel context as well as to liturgical use. It is important to read and proclaim the Gospel reading on a given Sunday in the context of the complete Gospel by a particular Evangelist.
Luke's annunciation narrative follows a pattern: appearance of an angel, fear, message, objection and confirmatory sign of God's presence. This reflects Old Testament birth announcements (Gen. 16:7-12; 17:1-20; Jgs. 13:3-21) and prophetic calls (Is. 6:1-13; Jer. 1:4-19). Two themes shape this narrative, the focus on Jesus as Son of the Most High and heir to the throne of David (first reading), and the role of Mary--which has so captured Christian art and imagination through the ages. Though told as a parallel to the announcement of John's birth, Luke accentuates the birth of Jesus. Mary is greeted as "most favored," ("full of grace"), that is, the recipient of God's special love; she is a virgin, and the Holy Spirit will overshadow her; she alone will give him a name and destiny (Jesus), and her consent opens the way for the coming of the child called the holy one and Son of God.
Mary is a model of expectation for the contemporary church. She is a "handmaid" (doule), a term liable to misinterpretation as encouraging passivity. But the term is used frequently to describe significant figures in salvation history (Moses at Ex. 4:10; 14:31; Num. 12:7; Dt. 34:5; David at 2 Sam. 7:5, and Isaiah at Is. 20:3) and becomes a frequent self-designation by the Apostle Paul (e.g., Rom. 1:1; 2 Cor. 4:5; Phil. 1:1). The prophetic role of Mary is lost sight of in the seasonal Lectionary, since the Magnificat, which follows the annunciation, appears as a Gospel reading only on the feast of the Assumption. At the annunciation, Mary is one who, like Moses, stands in awe of God's presence; like the prophets, she accepts a commission from God and lives out of faith in God's word ("be it done to me according to your word"). The church, through the ages and today, is sustained by women and men who experience the overshadowing power of God's spirit, live in prophetic service of God's word and bring forth God's presence in the world.