Mary, did you know?
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Luke 1:26-38
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032526.cfm
Today is nine months before the birth of Jesus. So in the midst of Lent, we have “Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord” or the date that Jesus may have been incarnated. This year it falls on the Wednesday before Holy week. In four days, it will be Palm Sunday, in eight days we’re celebrating Maundy Thursday (the last supper and the washing of feet), Good Friday with the crucifixion in nine days, and Easter with the resurrection in eleven days. What a time to pause and reflect on where Jesus’s earthly journey began at the annunciation between Mary and Gabriel! All the things that happened in Jesus’s life are about to conclude with the passion of his last week and the continuation through the resurrection.. Mary had no idea when it began on what all it would entail, but she entrusted herself to God’s will to allow it to happen.
Out of nowhere today, my youngest son started singing “Mary, Did You Know?” I have no idea as to why and it was just sang the opening verse, but it called to mind the significance of today. Four years ago, I played a pastor in a production of “Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” and then a little over a year ago, I filled in for the role of father in it to help a friend who ran into some hard times. The director of both shows is a good friend of mine and we used a recording of “Mary, Did You Know?” during the pivotal scene when the troublesome girl playing Mary realizes the importance of Christmas. The recording here is not the one we used for this production, but one with the children of the person who originally recorded it, the Shininger family, a very talented group of individuals.
Like the character in “Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” our journey to God is one of transformation. It’s not just one transformation, but it is continual and ongoing. God is never done with us. Like with Mary, we don’t know exactly what we are committing to when we start the journey. Things don’t tend to go exactly how we had planned. There are different ups and downs that could never have been expected. Opening ourselves up to God, we will grow in love through that process and help others to do the same.
May you find some time today to reflect on this experience for Mary. What it must have been like for her at the beginning of this journey, raising Jesus, during his ministry, living through his emotions and suffering during Holy Week, and experiencing Jesus’s resurrection. There’s a lot there to process for anyone that knew Jesus, but think about what that must have been like for his mother, one that was connected to him in the flesh.
“Mary, did you know?”
You can learn more about Steve Shininger here:
https://www.thebash.com/dance/steveshiningertheshinsingsorchestra
https://www.facebook.com/groups/143368840989/
