what gabriel saw
wherein we try reading the story for the first time
The angel had watched her for a while now; studying the girl’s movements, memorizing her ways. All that time spent watching – waiting – made her seem remarkably ordinary; just another young woman in Nazareth doing her chores, laughing with friends, caring for family. If she was exceptional, it was in the way all teenage girls are exceptional: how they simultaneously embody the past, present, and future with an innate kind of cosmic energy. This town was bursting with them.
Not that the angel disagreed with the choice. Observation proved this young woman to be loving and just, tender and strong, principled and compassionate; selected not only because she would have the courage to say yes, but because she would raise him to have such courage too. She had been formed this way by the women in her family, the angel had noticed; by the women in her community, marginalized as Jews under Roman rule. Courage had been passed down to her, so she too was sure to pass it on to any child she birthed. A simple standard, but a crucial one – for courage would be required of both of them, again and again.
She was the one to ask alright, but it would make more sense if she had a bit of clout, a bit of social capital. The angel could surmise that her family was respected and stable, but they were far from noteworthy, economically or influentially. The girl made cheese from a goat she milked herself and sold it to neighbors to help make ends meet in the home. It was all so… common. Shouldn’t a divine revelation to humankind come with more pizzazz?
It was the normalcy of this whole thing that was shocking, the angel thought. No temple but her frail olive skin. The Whole One, the Complete One, would grow right there, right beside a goat’s udder! How strange. Then again, everything about this idea was strange. It was true that there was precedent for ordinary glory – a brief glance at the history of the prophets would attest to that – but this time they were pushing the bounds of reason. The angel wasn’t sure about it, in all honesty. Trust was the order of the day.
Oblivious to the eyes watching her, the girl talked to an elder as she swept the floor, her brow changing with the topic; here furrowed, there exclamatory. Her laugh was loud and boisterous and the angel admired the old woman who made it unfurl so easily. Humans thrived in relationships, the angel had noticed. It was part of their beauty; part of their reflection of the divine, who also exists in relationship. The Son of Man, when he came, would come as a member of this family; as a member of this community. He would not be alone, and in a plan that often felt incomprehensible – well, the angel could comprehend that.
With the broom returned to its place in the corner, the girl kissed her elder and excused herself to finish the remaining chores outside.
It was time.
She would say yes, the angel knew. Not that she had to, but she would. This girl would say yes to a mystery she didn’t understand, to a reputation she wouldn’t deserve, to a future she couldn’t imagine. She would say yes, the angel knew, because she was one of those humans who believed – fervently, viscerally – in love.
The angel stepped forward, out of the shadows.
“Mary.”
Hey friends,
I sure hope your Christmas preparations are going better than mine, because I have bought a whopping two of the approximately eight million gifts I need to get. If you’d like to order a signed and personalized copy of any of my books as a gift for someone in your life, I’d be thrilled to get them in the mail to you ASAP.
You can fill out this form to get Feminist Prayers, Luminous, or Embracing Weakness. I don’t have any Rewilding Motherhood at home, but my local bookstore does and I can still sign it for you there — just order that one through them.
Oh and if you need a laugh, my photographer friend Dan McClanahan and I had some silly fun recreating Taylor Swift’s Time magazine cover — with my chickens. Check it out here for a smile.
Peace be with you,
Shannon
A beautiful and wise reimagining of the Mary event in time for Christmas : how the ordinary and extraordinary are coupled and complement each other.
This gave me goosebumps, so beautiful as it observes and builds up to the moment!