On the eve of Christmas, we mediate the annunciation of our blessed mother. This passage reveals the entire salvation history in a nutshell because, in this account, we encounter a God who comes in search of lost humanity. Blessed Virgin Mary becomes the chosen instrument who becomes the connecting link between God and the lost humanity. God, who is the author of salvation, chose this humble handmaid and privileged her with the singular grace of immaculate conception. The Virgin Mary might not be aware of this special grace of immaculate conception at that juncture of her life. We come to know this singular grace of immaculate conception from the greeting of angel Gabriel: “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” (Lk. 1:28) This was a unique greeting reserved only for the blessed Virgin Mary.

This annunciation account reveals to us the graceful disposition of our blessed mother. Let us reflect on the specialties of the inner disposition of our blessed mother. Like any of us, Mary could have been amazed at the apparition of the angel Gabriel, especially about the greeting. Having known her inner thoughts, angel Gabriel mentions her response to the immense God’s grace that was showered in her life: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.” (Lk.1:30) Mary, too, had the freedom to disobey God’s will, but she always lived a life pleasing to God. She did not seek in whatever she did other than God’s glory.
Secondly, we see Mary’s eagerness to cooperate with God’s plan. When angel Gabriel revels the message that she will give birth to the Son of God, Mary asks, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk. 1:35) In the annunciation account of Zechariah, we see he tells angel Gabriel, “How can I know that this will happen? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” (Lk. 1:19). If this was a lack of trust but Mary’s question was seeking guidance on how to go about with this God’s plan, the angel tells a unique element of our salvation history: virginal conception by the action of the Holy Trinity: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk. 1:35).

Thirdly, Mary’s attitude of complete surrender. When the angel reveals all these details, Mary doesn’t worry whether Joseph will understand and accept her, or will her kith and kin? Angel reveals to her the conception Elizabeth had in her old age. Something unusual and extra ordinary. Even if the angel did not reveal this, Mary would have said, Yes, to the will of God. Of course, the glimpse of one who conceives outside a marriage bond has to be stoned to death. Anyhow, her absolute trust in Yahweh was over her fears. “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. (Lk. 1:38)

As we reflect on this gospel passage, let us imitate the inner, graceful dispositions of our Blessed Mother. Let us trust in God’s grace, which always awaits us, and let us cooperate with God’s grace towards holiness. Let us also grow in our faith level day by day and imbibe the mindset of a blessed mother-to surrender ourselves completely to God’s will, even when our fears are challenging us. May this Christmas experience help us to cooperate with God’s grace in all the seasons of our lives and grow as authentic disciples of Jesus like our blessed mother.