You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus

8 APRIL (Lk 1,26-38)

Always in Scripture this voice that announced the birth of a particular person, bearer of a divine mission echoed. The Book of Judges narrates.

The Israelites again offended the Lord, who therefore delivered them into the power of the Philistines for forty years. There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. An angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son. Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb. It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the power of the Philistines.” The woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed. I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. But he said to me, ‘You will be with child and will bear a son. So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of his death.'” (Judges 13,1-7).

In the temple, even the priest Zechariah heard this voice. It was from the Angel Gabriel.

The angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” (Lk 1,11-17).

With the Virgin Mary, the divine messenger is the same. However, the mode, the essence, the substance and the nature of the conception change. The Virgin Mary must not conceive a man, but God; she must not conceive him in a human way, but in a unique and unrepeatable way in history: through the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “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 called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

The Virgin Mary does not conceive a man in a human way, with the help of a man. She conceives God in her womb, the Only Son, the Eternal Word of the Father, who in her virginal womb becomes true man, the true Son of man, the true descendant of Adam. Who operates this conception is the Holy Spirit that will light upon her and will render her Mother, making her remain virgin forever.

This event will never be repeated in history. The Incarnation of the Eternal Word of God is made once and for all. Never might it happen again. This is the true greatness of the Virgin Mary: She is the true Mother of God, the true mother of her Lord, because the true Mother of the Son of God, who is in his divine nature and in His Person true God. He is the true God who in her womb becomes true man. This is the mystery of mysteries. The Virgin Mary is clothed with the highest dignity granted to a human creature.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints, introduce us into the mystery.