Something I am always struck by in praying the Rosary is the richness of its mysteries. I would like to reflect on the Joyful Mysteries, which contain some of the richest Mariology in addition to its Christology, so much so that they never cease to put me in awe. I would especially like to reflect upon the First Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation.

At the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel comes to Mary, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:28). This verse illustrates the great holiness of our Blessed Mother. She is so holy, so pure, so loving, that even one of the greatest of the Lord’s angels, an Archangel, bows before her in veneration. She is said to be “full of grace”. Nowhere else in the Sacred Scriptures is any other person described in this way, not even the great prophets of the Old Covenant nor the ancient kings of Israel. This fullness of grace can be attributed to none of this, as it belongs to Mary alone.

Even more mind-blowing, is Mary’s lowly place in Jewish society. She is a young, poor, teen-aged, girl promised in marriage to the carpenter, Joseph, a lowly “handmaid of the Lord” (Lk. 1:38). It is truly amazing what the Lord does with Mary. His working in Mary’s life gives hope to our own lives. If God can make a lowly Jewish girl the greatest of His creatures, what does that say about what the Lord is able to do with our lives? Our lives are truly special, just as Mary’s, because all life is from and belongs to God. All life is a participation in His ongoing creation. Mary, through her Fiat, becomes a co-worker with God in creation and salvation. Her Fiat, by allowing for the Word to be made incarnate in her, allows us to do the same.

Her Fiat truly is amazing, “Be it done to me according to thy word.” (Lk. 1:38). Mary has everything to lose as the material world might see it. Her impregnation by the Holy Spirit will most certainly bring great trial and persecution from among her fellow Jews, as she is still not betrothed to Joseph. Joseph would silently break off the engagement only to put it back on again at the prompting of the Spirit. Mary, however, is willing to give herself up, no matter the circumstance, out of her love and faith in the Lord. As a young teenager, she is quite scared as you could imagine, but her hope is in God’s master plan.

There are many implications to this ‘Yes’. One thing that is apparent, is the extreme joy which must have filled Mary’s heart to know that her precious Son was to be called “the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever.” (Lk. 1:32) In spite of this joy, however, the ultimate implication which the incarnation would have brought to Mary is suffering. From the moment Mary gives her Fiat, she is confirming for herself a life of sorrow and hardship. She will bring the Word of God into the world through her flesh. She will gain that Love which God is in the most real, unimaginable way, only to have Him taken away at Calvary. She who brought Love into the world will watch as this precious Love is denied by his own family, his townsmen, the religious leaders, the Romans, and Israel itself. She will watch as all of his disciples abandon Him as He is tortured at the hands of the Romans and crucified. It becomes quite clear why it is that Mary was described as the Woman of Sorrows by the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

Through her ‘Yes’, to the Lord, she becomes the Theotokos, or God-bearer. In a sense, she also becomes the Church-bearer, as well. Through, her Fiat, the Church is able to come into existence with Christ as its head, thus she truly is the Mother of the Church. By agreeing to carry the Word-Made-Flesh, she in a sense also agrees to carry the Church into its new life in Christ. Mary makes it possible for us all to participate in the life of God in Christ. Her ‘Yes’ allows us to be made one with Him. The grace in which God bestows upon Mary allows for the Church, which is the ultimate Sacrament of God’s grace and love (Lumen Gentium). In the same way, our individual yes’ to God build up the Church and make it stronger. This is so because it allows for others to be introduced to Christ by our individual examples and witnesses. In this way, the Mystical Body of Christ grows stronger.
Lastly, Mary, through her Fiat, shows us the way to Christ. When nothing but pain and suffering lie ahead, will you be willing to do as Mary and put complete trust in the Lord? Will say to bring on all of the suffering, all of the sorrow, and all of the pain as Mary did, so that Love may live in this world? This is our calling, to abandon all to Him Who created us. All we are already belongs to Him. It is through our coming to recognize and accept this, as Mary did, that we are able to be transformed in His Love more fully into His image and likeness.

By Bill Radjewski

02/10/06