“26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:26-35)
An angel of God tells Mary that she is pregnant and that her son will become the savior of humankind. The announcement takes place in Nazareth, beside the well in the center of town. Mary harbors doubts, but the angel reinforces her faith, telling her that it is God’s will. Within every human being is a hidden light destined to be revealed – similar to the one growing inside Mary’s womb, unbeknownst to her until now. This is the divine goodness and abundance that will be revealed to the world through her son. Mary must strengthen her faith and be open to receiving this blessing.
Awe is the experience of perceiving the presence of the Creator; also known as “fear of God”, or reverence.
