Fr. Victor R. Baltazar, SJ
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
December 8, 2015
The whole world would have been oblivious to a radical revolution beginning in that sleepy town of Nazareth. The Spirit of God was hovering over privileged creation again. But this time God’s Spirit was not simply light to separate and the forces of chaos and darkness and gather the fragments of order, slowly but surely, fashioning a space and time that was conducive to life, breathing, pulsating, sensing, thinking, bearing fruit in abundance and multiplicity, living life intelligently, reasonably, lovingly and with much pause for reverence and worship.
This time around, God’s “let there be light” was to be even more subtle, silent, hidden. And Spirit continues to hover over the world, awaiting the sweet consent of a young maiden, good and holy to a fault. That moment of the silent, subtle revolution in the sleepy town of Nazareth, God’s messenger was deployed. He was to bring God’s Word to Mary, the whole world oblivious that Mary’s yes was to be the window for the world to see salvation.
The forces of darkness would not have seen it coming. “What good would come from Nazareth?” The last famous son of God who came there was not famous at all, but infamous for his guile and deception. But this woman has no guile, no deception. This woman’s other name was “full of grace!” She is quiet space which graciously receives and welcomes God’s Word with much pondering, contemplation, and docile obedience–which is not to say, she still asks questions, wanting to understand her part of the bargain. “How can this be, I do not know man?” Mary felt disturbed by the messenger’s greeting. Why would the angel say, “God abides in you and will assist you”? How big a mission was there to be assigned to a small, insignificant maidservant like her, to merit such assistance from a big, yet ungraspable God of mystery?”
But the Spirit’s Way was such, Mary had to learn first hand. The Spirit of God chooses the lowly, the insignificant and with such small spaces consenting, the power of the Most High comes and sows the seed of God’s transforming grace subtly, surreptitiously. Unknown to the whole world salvation has already come and began the silent revolution. The mustard seed has been sown, and the big sheltering bush was to grow in due time. A kingdom that will conquer mightily space by space, moment by moment so every heart of stone that has hurt and been hurt by sinfulness and pride, can at last hear a word of kindness and healing again, so people may hear afresh a word of forgiveness, of caring and compassion, of justice and peace building, of sharing and empowerment. And Mary would know in due time, the Spirit of God will usher forth a new way of people relating with others so those who had been lost and least would find a place in God’s home and grow steadily in flowing waters as the hardy cedars of Lebanon.
“The child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God!” The messenger completes his announcement. Be assured that the power of the Most High can cover even the things that men and women considered impossible.
And then even the heavens joined the earth in stillness: even God’s offers of grace hush for a moment to await the response of a free and loving human heart, and only with the human person’s yes does God unleash the full powers of God’s transforming love. “I am the maid servant of the Lord, let it be done to me, according to Your Word.” And with that silent consent, the Word of God took on Mary’s human flesh. Henceforth human breath will carry the Most Holy, human choice will bring forward God’s reign, human hearts will bear God’s loving. In Mary’s yes, our prayer at every mass will find a space for fulfillment–a small silent droplet of the water of humanity mysteriously mixes into the very lifeblood of God’s divinity, and everything Holy that the Word brings to flesh enters our dark world of sinfulness. And in that instant, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Nothing can be the same ever again. Silently seeded with God’s grace, the Creator can look and smile and again with a silent Word awaiting to be proclaimed: “It is Good!”
No longer will men and women feel naked again. No longer will men and women feel they have to blame each other again for the sin’s they have acceded to. No longer will they turn to creatures to find fault in something they themselves chose to do or not to do. No longer will there be emnity between women and men, or women and creatures. No longer will sin and death be the final word for humans. God’s love will be the final Word. And with God’s Word seeded, all alienations will melt away as reason and freedom and love set in. God’s good grace will bring light and order and reason and love again. And everything will move again according to God’s peace and rest. We pray that all our hearts, like Mary’s become good bearers of God’s seed, so that when our own annunciations come, we also receive God’s Word with pondering and docile obedience. Happy Feast Day and God Bless!
Fr. Vic Baltazar, SJ is the Director of Center for Ignatian Spirituality-Philippines. Click here to view their website.