In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God . . . to a virgin [whose] name was Mary. And he came to her and said, . . . "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "For nothing will be impossible with God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
This encounter between the human and the divine has been depicted as much as almost any other story from scripture. One of my favorites, which in the Cloisters Museum in New York, is a triptych. Gabriel and Mary are in the center panel. The benefactors who commissioned the painting, and possibly the church in which it was to reside, are pictured in the left panel. In the right panel is an image of Joseph working in his carpentry shop. He appears to be completely oblivious to what is going on, to the incredible announcement made by the angel Gabriel to Mary.
How often are we like Joseph, minding our own business, unaware of God's active presence in our world? How often do we fail to realize the part we are playing or will be asked to play in the coming of God's kingdom in this world?
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