Advent 4B (Luke 1:26-38)

This year's Advent season will be notably brief, spanning only 22 days, culminating with the fourth Sunday of Advent on Christmas Eve. As we delve into the significance of this season, we are reminded that pain is more bearable when its duration is shorter. Today, as we contemplate and embrace the image of Mary enduring labor pains, we acknowledge that it marks the due date of our reflection. (More precisely, our celebration of the Christmas Service is scheduled for 5 pm this afternoon.)

In the gospel lesson this morning, we are transported to the scene of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel delivers the momentous message of Jesus' conception. Some may have already observed that my enduring favorite religious painting is Henry Ossawa Tanner’s "The Annunciation." Notably, Tanner's portrayal of Mary lacks the conventional halo. Mary appears youthful and visibly "much perplexed," aligning with the gospel depiction. Her clasped hands convey a contemplative pondering of Gabriel's greeting: "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." The significance of the Lord being with her is realized in a literal sense as the Lord is destined to be within her womb. In examining the painting, note the absence of an anthropomorphic representation of the angel Gabriel. Instead, a radiant and luminous light on the left side of the painting manifests the divine presence, akin to the angel revealing itself to Moses in flames of fire at the burning bush (Exodus 3:2).

Dear friends in Christ, as we approach the celebration of Jesus' birth and anticipate the imminent arrival of Christ, I invite each of you to immerse yourselves in contemplation by embracing the images of Mary and Gabriel in Tanner's painting. In this reflection, you may find yourselves once again perplexed yet pondering in awe. The radiant manifestation of the divine presence, as conveyed by Gabriel, symbolizes the light of Christ that is destined to be born within each of you. Gabriel's proclamation resonates: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be holy" (Luke 1:35). To this proclamation, let all of you, embodying the spirit of Mary, respond, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).