Stopping to think before we speak or act is always the wisest course of action.
And that’s what Mary did when the angel suddenly showed up and spoke to her. Startled, she might have been, but she stopped to think. She paid attention. She took in what the angel said, compared it with the facts she knew, and asked a question, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (1:34). And it was only after her question was answered to her satisfaction–with another fact she knew, that Elizabeth was pregnant–that Mary agreed to what the angel had proposed: “Let it be with me according to your word” (1:38).
Christian women can remember Mary, especially for her response to Gabriel’s startling visit: She didn’t panic. She pondered, paid attention, compared what she heard with the facts she knew, and asked for answers before she said yes.
Mary’s example of calm thoughtfulness is one we can follow.
This message is excerpted from “Following Mary’s example of calm thoughtfulness” by Audrey Novak Riley from the August 17, 2020, blog of the Women of the ELCA. Today is the Annunciation of Our Lord.
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