The angel Gabriel has just visited a girl named Mary at Nazareth. She is engaged to be married to a man name Joseph. Joseph is a good man, a carpenter, descendant of King David. Joseph and Mary have never been physically intimate. Gabriel has come to announced that Mary will bear a Son. This Son who is to be conceived, Gabriel says, will be great, called Son of the Highest, He will have the throne of His father David.
The thing that floored me is Mary's response:
"Then, Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'"
The reason why this is so important is because Mary is expecting a miracle! Mary hadn't 'known a man' but she was engaged, so it's not like it wasn't in her future; yet she did not assume Gabriel was talking about her first child once Joseph and her got married. She knew Gabriel was talking about something else. You see, there is no talk of the Holy Spirit coming upon her, etc, etc until she asks this qst. Up until then everything that Gabriel said could have been thought of in a completely rational way, a natural outcome of planned events. Perhaps that is one of Mary's virtues she can look beyond the obvious, she knew how to wait on God and not act hastily.
I wonder how many times we like to reason away God's miracles and plans for our life. God tells us, "You will do this that and the other" or "I have this plan and purpose for your life" and what do we do? We take all the fun out of it. We rationalize it away. We take the supernatural out of it by taking things into our own hands. Can you imagine what would have happened if Mary would have just said to the angel 'Thank you very much Gabriel, for that lovely prophecy' then go to find Joseph and said: 'Joseph, our first child is going to be a king! I think we should move up the wedding and receive the Lord's blessing as soon as possible"
Mary is a wonderful woman. Definitely virtuous. Definitely a great example of a life of faith, and she reaped the rewards of seeking after God. Let us follow in her example :)
