A Perfectly Ordinary Woman. An Extraordinary Calling

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Luke 1:26-33

The Gospels tell us very little about Mary, the mother of Jesus.

We know that she was betrothed to Joseph, who was descended from King David. We know that she was kinswoman to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.

Beyond these sparse details, very little is said about her.

We may infer that, as she was betrothed and not fully married to Joseph, she was a fairly young woman—by modern standards she would have been little more than a girl.

Who was Mary? Other than that she was the mother of Jesus, we really do not know.

We do not know her hopes or her dreams.

We do not know whether her life was easy or hard.

We do not know what, aside from being the mother of Jesus, would have made her noteworthy or extraordinary.

We could easily infer from the lack of detail about her that Mary was in most regards a perfectly ordinary young woman of her time.

Yet this perfectly ordinary young woman—this seemingly nondescript girl living in the relatively nondescript town of Nazareth—somehow was special enough to find favor with God. This perfectly ordinary young woman somehow was special enough to be chosen by God to bring Jesus into this world.

Mary was the one chosen by God to carry Jesus in her womb.

Mary was the one chosen by God to nurse the infant Jesus.

Mary was the one chosen by God to nurture Jesus as He grew from infant to child to man.

Mary was the one chosen by God to bring the Son of God into the world.

Mary, a perfectly ordinary young woman, was chosen by God to fulfill the most extraordinary of roles!

What must that moment have been like for her? Can any of us imagine what thoughts must have gone through her head as she listened to the angel Gabriel?

Was she fearful and apprehensive? Did she wonder “why me?” Did she doubt if she would be a suitable mother to the Son of God?

Did she feel the flush of pride, that she was the one chosen by God—chosen out of all the women in the world?

Such reactions would be normal, perhaps even understandable. While many of us—perhaps even most of us—might dream of greatness, we do not, as a rule, expect to be specifically called to greatness. I doubt any of us have ever imagined being visited by the angel Gabriel!

Yet the Gospels tell us that God not only called Mary to be the mother of Jesus, but that Mary was the mother of Jesus. She did give birth to Him, and that means she also nursed Him as an infant, and nurtured Him as he grew from infant to child to man.

This perfectly ordinary young woman was part of the most extraordinary happening in human history.

Called to greatness, Mary rose to the challenge of greatness.

Called to God by God, Mary answered. She did not anwer with arrogance, or with anger, but with humility, piety, and devotion. She answered with that goodness which was within her.

The miracle of Jesus coming into the world is not merely that the Son of God became human, that He might redeem humanity. In Mary we see even before Jesus was born that essential goodness which makes humanity redeemable. In Mary we see even before Jesus was born that when God calls, ordinary people can answer.

Ordinary people may be flawed and imperfect. Ordinary people are sinful. Yet ordinary people can choose to answer God’s call. Ordinary people can rise to the challenge of that call—can rise to the challenge of greatness.

Ordinary people may be wandering in the darkness, yet they can still be God’s light shining to the entire world.

We know this because the Gospels tell us this. The Gospels tell us this in the story of Mary, a perfectly ordinary young woman, an otherwise nondescript girl, who was called by God to be the mother of Jesus, and chose to answer that call.

Neither you nor I are called to usher the Savior of all Mankind into the world. Yet are we not called to be a saving power in the world? Are we not called to show compassion and mercy to the weak, the sick, the destitute, and the vulnerable?

Ordinary as we are, sinful as we are, do we not still have the power to answer that call?

Ordinary as we are, sinful as we are, are we not still able to choose to answer that call, and choose to rise to the challenge of that call?

I believe we do. I believe we are.

My prayer in this Advent season is that I will choose to answer that call, and choose to rise to the challenge of that call, not just in this Christmas season but throughout the year. Ordinary as I am, I pray I will choose to be a light unto the world. In the story of Mary, the Gospels teach that I can make that choice; I pray I do make that choice.

My prayer for you in this Advent season is that you also will choose to answer that call, and choose to rise to the challenge of that call. Ordinary though you might be, I pray you will choose to be a light unto the world. The Gospels teach that you can make that choice; I pray you do make that choice.

Mary was called by God to bring Jesus, the Son of God, into the world. She was a perfectly ordinary young woman, answering an extraordinary calling, which mankind has been celebrating ever since.