I used to attend a church where the Blessed Virgin Mary was honored in a manner unlike any other I have known before or since. In our prayers we asked for her intercessions. We celebrated every Marian feast day. We rang the bell and prayed the Angelus at noon. I always felt a little sorry for the church’s patron, St. Michael, who seemed to have second billing to our Lady. However, we venerated them both as saints, and Mary’s prominence reflected her importance in our human story.

It was here, in this Anglo-Catholic church, that my Christian faith was formed. Although I went to church as a young boy, I stopped going at around 12 years old and only returned in my twenties. In my teenage years I was more of an anarchist than an atheist - in spirit, at least. I had a natural curiosity for learning and asked the big questions: Why are we here? Is there a power in the universe? Is that mysterious power God? Buddhism answered some of my questions, but not all of them.

St. Michael and All Angels was a five minute walk from where I lived. The church had a parish priest and four retired clergy, who processed every Sunday behind a thurifer, banner bearer, acolytes, crucifer and torches (candle bearers who weren’t acolytes). St. Michael’s is unusual in being two churches in one. The original church had had one wall knocked down to accommodate a much larger extension, so that the church is as wide as a football field. In the center of the church - in the place where the wall used to be - stands the statue of Mary.

The placement of her statue - where the old church meets the new - is symbolic of Mary's position in history. She grew up as a young girl in the Judaic tradition and then conceived and gave birth to the founder of Christianity. As such, she stands on either side of the two great religions.  

Today is the Feast of the Annunciation. We celebrate the moment when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and “announced” to her that she would conceive and bear God’s son. It’s hard to think of such a world changing event happening this way: a brief and private exchange between an angel and a young girl. Despite her age, Mary’s response shows her maturity. First she has a practical question: (from a literal translation of the text) “How shall this be, since I know no man?” (Luke 1:34) After hearing the angel’s explanation, she responds unhesitatingly, “Here is the slave of the Lord. May it happen to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38)

Mary’s reply is one of the most significant verses in the whole of the Bible. At least it was for me, who felt called by God into holy orders. In her response, Mary sums up the attitude required by those who seek to serve and do God’s will. She surrenders her will entirely to God. The radical nature of this self-offering is characterized by the term “slave.” Interestingly, her son will do the same thing (Philippians 2:7) Jesus the Son of God is also the son of Mary; Jesus embodied in his own nature and personality elements of hers.

Mary was chosen by God to conceive and bear the Savior of the world. What is remarkable is her absolute trust in God. I think of all the questions that she could have asked. “Will my family be there to celebrate the birth with me?” “Where will Joseph and I live?” “Will we be safe?” Mary understands the nature of her calling, but not how it will be worked out. As it happens, agreeing to serve God places her in great danger, and after Jesus’ birth the family must flee to Egypt, in order to escape the murderous intentions of King Herod.

To her virtues of faith and trust we must therefore add the qualities of resilience and adaptability. Mary had to grow up quickly, yet God blessed her and the family. After Herod’s death they were able to return to Nazareth and live there safely. 

In my own story, Mary’s uncomplicated love and obedience have inspired me to listen and follow God’s call. Living a life of faith is not always easy, but Mary showed me the way, by trusting in God and giving her life wholeheartedly and without reservation. She is the first Christian, the first person who knows Christ and experiences the joy and suffering of being close to him. 

By accepting God’s call, Mary played a pivotal role in the story of our salvation. As a young girl with little knowledge or experience of the world, but with a heart and strength to do God’s will, she will be forever honored and praised. Today I echo the angel Gabriel, who greeted her with these words: “Hail, favored one; the Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28)

Father David