Annunciation - Mary’s fiat

By Edward Sri

Mary said: "Let it be to me according to your Word"

Let us now step back and consider all that has happened to Mary in this brief encounter with Gabriel. First, an angel visits the young woman from the small town of Nazareth. This alone would have been quite startling. Second, in hearing the angel’s words “The Lord is with you” and “You have found favor with God,” Mary probably realizes that God is calling her to some daunting task. She is to play a pivotal role in God’s plan of salvation, as did Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and many other key figures in Israel’s history who have gone before her.
Third, she finds out that she will be expecting a baby. Fourth, she is informed that this child just happens to be the long-awaited Messiah who will restore Israel’s kingdom and bring the history of the world to its climactic moment. Fifth, she will conceive of this child not through natural means but through a miraculous conception brought about by God’s Holy Spirit. Finally—as if all this were not already astonishing enough—the angel tells her that this child is the divine Son of God. That’s a lot to swallow in one short conversation with an angel! All of this was given to Mary in a conversation that could have taken place in about a minute or two.
It is difficult to imagine what Mary was going through in those brief moments. Some people would have requested a little time to think about and process all that was just said. Others might have responded, “Why me?” Still others might have just fainted! While we don’t know much about Mary’s emotions and thoughts at the angel’s annunciation, the one response Luke does record for us is one of complete trust: “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word’” (Luke 1:38).
What is interesting about Mary’s response is that the Greek word in this verse for “let it be to me” expresses not a passive acceptance but a joyful wishing or desiring on Mary’s part. Mary does not passively agree to go along with this challenging vocation, but upon hearing of her extraordinary maternal mission, she positively desires it and fully embraces God’s call for her to serve as the mother of the Messiah.