March: Mary’s First Moments with Jesus
Relevant Scripture: Luke 1: 26-37
This is the week that Jesus came into existence as a human being. Through a biological mystery that no earthly person will ever fully understand, the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and caused her to conceive. How fortunate we all are that she said yes. Jesus in the womb, Hear our prayers.
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. – Luke 1: 35 (The angel Gabriel is speaking to us about the actual presence of the Trinity at the Incarnation.)
In this moment, the miracle of life has been revolutionized again. At the beginning of time, God the Father had spoken the words, “Let there be light,” and so it had come to be. Now, as creation reaches for its pinnacle, the Word of God made flesh is conceived and brought into the world of creation through the words of a teenage girl. Mary said, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” In this moment, the world’s true light has already come into our existence. He comes not as a conquering king, not as a noble child, not even as the infant in swaddling clothes. He comes first and foremost in the form of a single fragile cell of humanity, wrapped securely inside the warmth of his mother’s body.
He is so small that even if he were not inside his mother’s womb, he would not be identifiable to the naked eye. He is so helpless, that the setting in which he currently resides is the only one capable of sustaining his life. Yet, he is already wholly and utterly the God-man, destined to save all of humanity through his love and his sacrifice. People will speak of His first 30 years on earth as the hidden time of his life because it comes before his public ministry. During those many years, only his parents, relatives, and perhaps a few neighbors will benefit from his daily presence.
But in truth, these moments are the most hidden of the Messiah’s life. For these moments in the womb are preserved even from his family and his earthly father. This time is preserved such that only his mother can share the precious time with him. In some ways, He feels further away to Mary than he will after his birth. For she cannot hug and kiss him, she cannot clean his face, or tousle his hair as she rocks him to sleep. Yet, in other ways, these are the most intimate moments that any human being will ever have with the God of the Universe. She rubs the side of her stomach affectionately, though of course his one cell does not yet feel it physically. She smiles and feels no fear.
Mary turns her thoughts to the other women who have experienced pregnancy like this. Of course no one else has conceived God in their womb, but countless other women have found themselves pregnant and alone. She thought of Joseph, her betrothed. Would he understand? Would he still want to marry her? She hoped he would, but she trusted that whatever else happened, God would provide whatever was needed. She began offering up prayers for the other women who have felt lost and desperate in pregnancy. Other girls in circumstances like hers might feel deeply alone. She has never felt so alone in her entire life! Throughout this next month, please pray especially for women in crisis pregnancies.
