Most favored one?

Reflection Title:

Gratuitous Gift

Reflection Content:

In the ancient Christian calendar, this moment is commemorated every year on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation. Take note of the time: what happens nine months later? Virgin births and the birth of gods into the world are not peculiar to the Christian story. We find these motifs in Hindu and Buddhist narratives, in Greek and Roman mythology, and in archaic cultures—the miraculous birth of gods and heroes. The human heart and mind long for such stories. And what we have made of this central story of Western culture? What is announced brings, nine months later, the Feast of the Incarnation that we turn into Christmas. The announcement to an unmarried young woman that she is pregnant is turned into a feast of the family, a household feast. But there is something deeper at work. Have you noticed that at Christmas many friends, neighbors and strangers, some of whom neither believe nor know the story, still gather and give gifts to each other? Kindness to strangers is heightened at this time of year. It is a time of gift-giving. What could be more gratuitous that the birth of a child. And such a child. His name, the story tells us, shall be called Emanuel, which means, “God with us.” In the moment of grace to loved one and stranger, the moment of gift-giving, the divine is born between us. It also is a moment of incarnation.

Story Title:

How Can This Be?

Story Content:

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, with a message for a girl betrothed to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David; the girl’s name was Mary. The angel went in and said to her, “Greetings, most favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was deeply troubled by what he said and wondered what this greeting might mean. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for God has been gracious to you; you shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus. He will be great; he will bear the title ‘Son of the Most High’; the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, and he will be king over Israel for ever; his reign shall never end.” “How can this be?” said Mary; “I am still a virgin.” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will over-shadow you; and for that reason the holy child to be born will be called ‘Son of God.’”

—Luke 1:26–35

Contemporary Story Title:

Love’s Sacrifice

Contemporary Story Content:

Frank Faulk, a radio documentary producer with CBC radio, examines how the biblical concept of “The Chosen” is central to Western thought and culture, and plays a powerful role in the way people see themselves:

“The idea of the chosen one is also found in many hit movies. There’s The Matrix, where the central character Neo is the chosen one to liberate humanity from the false world of the Matrix. The Chronicles of Narnia movies are based on the children’s books of the same name by the late Christian author, C. S. Lewis. The themes of these films are all about good versus evil, death and resurrection, the power of love—all very Christian themes. There are many movies and many characters we could talk about, but let’s look at Harry Potter and Frodo from The Lord of the Rings. They go on an adventure because they are the chosen ones—obviously—and they undergo many hardships and they have a lot of temptations. But towards the end of their journey, they find love, and this becomes a huge advantage to them. See, love is the power that Harry has over his adversary, the lord of the darkness, Voldemort, and love is the power that will save Frodo when he is near death. Both of them find the importance of love, and there is nothing more important of course in scripture than the whole notion of love, the fact that God loves us and that we love him in return. There’s also the notion of sacrifice in Harry Potter: his parents, to prevent Harry from being killed by a curse, step in front of the curse and are themselves killed.”

“They sacrifice themselves out of love for their son—nothing more biblical than that. The biblical idea of the chosen not only permeates popular culture, it also expresses an inner experience common to many people- having a calling, or vocation.”

—Audio: CBC Radio Idea’s The Chosen “Part 2” with Frank Faulk. 2013.

Artwork Title:

Return of the Exiles

Artwork Content:

Fra Angelico (1387–1455), born Guido di Pietro, was an early Renaissance Florentine painter whose work consists entirely of theophanies—encounters with the divine. He lived a devout life as a Dominican Friar, and received prestigious commissions to endow churches with devotional paintings. The Cortona Annunciation, (1432–34) was created as the altarpiece for the convent church of San Domenico in Cortona.

Fra Angelico worked out of the belief in the perfect conjunction of nature and divine grace. Thus, the artist has rendered the meeting of the angel in a Florentine setting, within an open-vaulted loggia with elegant columns. The need for the annunciation finds expression in the left background of the painting, depicting the exile of Adam and Eve from Paradise. An enclosed garden, a Marian symbol, with a lawn covered in flowers, rose bushes, and a palm tree that echoes Christ’s passion. The Angel’s words to Mary are recorded in soft golden letters that flow from the angel’s mouth. Light radiates from the angel, giving the painting a warm glow. The prophet Isaiah is depicted in the central rosette of the loggia, and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove hovering above the Virgin. The predella within the golden frame includes scenes from the life of the Virgin. The scenes include: The Birth of the Virgin, The Marriage of Joseph and Mary, The Visitation, Adoration of the Magi, Presentation in the Temple, and The Dormition of the Virgin. The story of the annunciation spoke of the promise of redemption addressed to Mary, a reversal of the spirit that addressed Eve in the Garden of Eden. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the antidote to the alienation spoken of in the Genesis story. Fra Angelico created various versions of the annunciation theme, including famous frescoes for the Dominican Convent of San Marco in Florence.