Jesus' Birth Prophesied

This week we meet Mary, the mother of Jesus. Though many images of Mary throughout the centuries picture her as a thirty-year-old woman with perfect hair, no dirt under her nails, and a golden crown, the truth is that she was a teenager from an unremarkable town; a virgin, pledged to be married to a carpenter named Joseph. The angel Gabriel, who had announced John the Baptizer’s birth to Zechariah, showed up and told Mary that God was going to show her favor, or grace, and that she would conceive and give birth to a son, Jesus, the Son of God. In response, Mary asked a question, “How?” but she did not show unbelief like Zechariah had. Gabriel explained to her, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” Mary responded in faith by saying, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Thus, Mary is not the object of our faith but a great example of faith.