Here is a post from our Director of Faith Formation, Jessica Harris:
Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
These are the words that we will hear later this week for the Solemnity of the Annunciation. “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”
These are Mary’s words to the Angel Gabriel after his astonishing announcement, and these words are meant to shape our lives.
Let’s ponder the difficult situation that Mary is placed in: a young teenage girl betrothed to Joseph, who is an upstanding member of the community in his own right, is told that she will become pregnant and bear a son. The full force of what has been placed on Mary’s shoulders doesn’t take effect unless you know the whole story.
It is commonly taught that Mary, when she was a young girl, was consecrated as a temple virgin. The Protoevangelium of James tells us that Mary was consecrated at the age of 3 and remained in the temple until the age of 14. While a temple virgin, a young girl would make a vow of virginity during her time there. It was also a common practice to remain a virgin after her time was served in the temple. To protect the virginity of these young girls, they were often married to older widowers whose duty was to provide for these girls and to protect their virginity. These young girls would then take over household duties and care for any children from the previous marriage.
When the angel appeared to Mary, she was already betrothed to Joseph, which, according to Jewish custom, meant that she was already living and working within Joseph’s household. So, this just heaps scandal upon scandal – Mary is a young girl who has made a vow of perpetual virginity, and is living in Joseph’s house… you can only imagine what the local community was saying about her. This also gives a nuance to those who look at Jesus skeptically and say “Wait…isn’t this the son of Mary and Joseph?” Everyone would know the scandal surrounding Jesus’ birth and parentage in his hometown. There is another nuance now to Mary’s question to the Angel: “How can this be since I have not known man?” Rephrase: “How can this happen since I have not every known a man, nor was I ever planning to?”
So, this is Mary’s situation when then Angel announces to her that she will conceive and bear a son. With her answer – let it be done unto me according to your word – she knows that the censure and scandal will rain down on her not just from her community, but the man who she is betrothed to. Who would blame Joseph for wanting to divorce her? Your young virgin wife is found with a child that isn’t yours…what other course of action could you take? His virtue is shown in that he knows how much suffering she is undergoing as a result of this, and therefore wants to divorce her quietly. It would take an act of God in a dream to convince Joseph that there is something greater going on here.
How many times does God ask us to take on something great? Yet, there are times when we look ahead to the potential consequences and we grow afraid. Mary knew what was coming, she knew what she would endure as a result of her radical decision, and yet she approached it without fear. Her sinlessness, her faith, and her trust in God’s goodness allowed her to make her decision confidently. When God asks the impossible from us, or at least the very difficult, we should all pray to Mary to show us the courage she had at that moment when the angel appeared to her – to show us the courage that will allow us to answer in our own lives “fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.”