Homily for the Feast of the Annunciation to Mary, 25 March 2015--"Nothing is Impossible With God"

Homily for the Feast of the Annunciation to Mary

25 March 2015 /2012

Epistle:  Hebrews 2:11-18                                Gospel:  Luke 1:24-38

 

When Mary asks the Archangel Gabriel how it will be possible for her to become pregnant without having sexual relations with a man, the angel doesn’t answer her directly.  To make his point, he tells her that her cousin Elizabeth has “conceived a son in her old age.”  She was called barren, but now she’s six months pregnant.  And this proves that “nothing will be impossible with God.”

This same idea is proclaimed four or five time in the Gospels—in slightly different ways—nothing is impossible for God—what is impossible for people is possible for God—and so on.

Naturally, we love to hear this.  It gives us hope when life seems hopeless.  It gives us strength when we are weak.  It encourages us when we are discouraged.

But there is a danger in this idea, too.  We can use it as a crutch, or as a replacement for our own efforts.  “Nothing is impossible with God” can come to mean, in our minds, “Nothing is impossible with God, so I don’t have to do anything.”  “Nothing is impossible with God, so let God handle it.”  Or even, “Nothing is impossible with God, so if God wants it to happen, it will happen.  I’ll just wait and see.”

When people think like that, they are missing the whole point of the statement that “Nothing is impossible with God.”

Today’s Gospel reading makes clear that nothing is impossible with God, but human cooperation is required.

When Mary hears the angel’s greeting—“Hail, full of grace.  The Lord is with you.”—she is “greatly troubled” and wonders what this means.  She’s not just a little bit bothered.  She doesn’t just think, “Whoa, this is weird.”  She is “greatly” troubled.

When Gabriel then explains about her conceiving a son who will be called Son of the Most High, whom God will give the throne of David, who will rule over the House of Jacob forever, and whose kingdom will have no end, Mary has more questions.  She wants to understand God’s plan, as much as she can.

And when she does understand, she proclaims her faith and agrees to cooperate with God’s plan:  “I am the handmaid of the Lord.  Let it be done to me according to your word.”  In other words, “I am the servant of God.  I agree to the plan you have explained to me.”

The lesson for us is that when we hold onto “Nothing will be impossible with God,” we also have to be willing, in faith, to cooperate with God.  We have to seek understanding of how God wants to use us to accomplish God’s will.  Then we have to profess that we are the servants of the Lord, ready to let God’s will be done in us and through us and by us.

Mary didn’t say, “Well, I’d like to be the Mother of God, but I don’t want to spend any money or put out any effort, so I’ll just wait to see what God does for me, since nothing is impossible with God.”

In the same way, a parish cannot say, “Well, we’d like to grow and flourish, but we don’t want to spend any money or put out any effort, so we’ll just wait to see what God does for us through the bishop, or the priest, or maybe a new priest.  After all, nothing is impossible with God.”

If we want to conceive the Son of God in our parish, as the Son of God was conceived in Mary’s womb, we have to say, “We are your servants, Lord; we’re ready to do whatever it takes to cooperate with your will and accomplish your plan.  We’ll spend whatever it takes and put out whatever effort is required.  For nothing is impossible with You and nothing is impossible for us when we work with You.  And so we give You thanks and praise and glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.  Amen.”