The Two Annunciations
One
Two Annunciations
We are at the very place of the Annunciation where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in Nazareth. But did you know there were actually two annunciations? Before the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, he first appeared to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. In the Temple, Gabriel revealed God’s will: that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, despite their old age, would have a son, and they were to name him John. Yet Zechariah struggled to believe this message.
Later, Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth, announcing that she too would bear a son, Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, even as she remained a virgin. Unlike Zechariah, Mary believed.
Why did Mary respond with faith, while Zechariah did not?
Two
Zechariah’s Doubt
When Gabriel spoke, Zechariah answered, “How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked for proof. Gabriel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. But now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Zechariah’s lack of faith stemmed from something deeper: he had not cultivated the habit of listening for God’s voice in silence and meditation on the Word of God.
To heal this spiritual deafness, Gabriel not only struck him mute but, according to St. Ambrose, made him deaf as well. For nine months, Zechariah was enveloped in silence, a time of purification, a grace-filled opportunity to listen, to attune his heart to God’s voice, and to grow in faith so that he could finally hear, believe, and obey the Lord.
Three
Faith comes from a listening heart
When Gabriel reveals God’s plan to Zechariah, he asks for proof before he will believe. At the Annunciation, Mary responds quite differently. She does not demand proof. Instead, she simply asks, “How can this be?” Mary believes God’s word immediately because it is spoken through His messenger. Her question is not one of doubt, but of wonder: how will this come about, since she is a consecrated virgin?
Gabriel answers her with reverence and clarity, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
Unlike Zechariah, Mary had formed the habit of silent reflection on God’s word. Twice in the Gospel of Luke (2:19 and 2:51), we are told that “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
Mary’s life was marked by interior silence and prayerful meditation on God’s Word. This made her familiar with God’s voice, ready to listen, ready to believe, and ready to act. Because of this deep interior life, Mary was able to give her total “yes” to God, saying, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.”
Silence and listening to God’s Word are essential if we are to have faith. They are the foundation for knowing and doing the will of God.
Four
Three Necessary Things
There are three essential ingredients to knowing and doing the will of God: Silence, meditation on the word of God, and a resolution. The first is silence.
Mother Teresa once said, “It can be difficult to pray when we don’t know how, but we can help ourselves through the use of silence. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence. This silence takes a lot of sacrifice, but if we really want to pray, we must be ready to take that step now. Without this first step toward silence, we will not be able to reach our goal, which is union with God.”
“We forget that in the silence of the heart God speaks, and from the fullness of the heart we speak. Only when we have heard him in the silence of our hearts, only when we have learned to listen to God in the silence of our hearts, only then can we say: I pray. There is no either/or about prayer and love. We can’t say we have either prayer or love: There is no prayer without love and no love without prayer.”
“The fruit of silence is prayer.
The fruit of prayer is faith.
The fruit of faith is love.
The fruit of love is service.
The fruit of service is peace.”
According to Mother Teresa, peace, service, love, faith and prayer all find their origin in silence. But silence may be the hardest thing to find in our world, which is kind of funny because silence is always there, just like God is always there. In fact, God is within you. So, what is keeping us from silence and a deeper friendship with God who dwells in your heart?
Five
Daily Meditation on the Word of God
The second necessary ingredient to knowing and doing the will of God is daily meditation on the word of God. People often say to me, “God never speaks to me.” So, I ask, “Do you ever shut up so you can listen to God?” If we want to listen to God, then we need daily meditation. Teresa of Avila gives us three simple steps to listen to God by Meditation.
First, read or listen to something from the Word of God. The Word of God is comprised of Scripture, Tradition (the writings of the Saints), and the Magisterium (the teaching of the Church). As soon as something strikes you – stop reading. Second, reflect or think about what struck you. Try to understand it. Apply it to our lives by asking, “Am I living this or not?” If not, “what is preventing me?” Pride, vanity, envy, sloth, anger, greed, gluttony, lust, etc. Practically, what am I going to do about it? This leads us to form a resolution, a game plan for the day. Third, form a resolution. Choose something practical and concrete to do that day based on your meditation. Examples of a resolution: I will try not to gossip today. I am anxious. Today, I will replace that feeling of anxiety with an act of trust in God. Today I will not look at YouTube. If you can’t think of a resolution, then just remember some idea from your meditation all day long. It will change the way you think and behave.