A Reflection from “Icon of Trust” by Fr. Slawomir Szkredka

Full of Grace

The more we comprehend the significance attached to Mary’s yes, the more striking becomes her insignificance, that is, her insignificant standing in the social hierarchy.

Again, comparison with Zechariah is very helpful. Zechariah’s status as a priest, his blameless observance of the law, and even the privilege allotted to him of entering the sacred space mark him as someone important in socio-religious terms and thus worthy of God’s revelation. When Luke describes Mary, he mentions nothing about her profession or family of origin. It is Joseph, Mary’s fiancé, who both Matthew and Luke’s Gospels say is from the house of David. Mary is simply described as a virgin from a town in Galilee called Nazareth. This conspicuous lack of social credentials is intriguing. It seems to suggest that God’s choice of Mary rests purely on God’s gracious initiative and not on any human consideration of worth. As we shall soon see, the greeting with which Gabriel addresses Mary points in the same direction.

In his first words directed to Zechariah, Gabriel calls him by his name: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard” (1:13). In the first words directed to Mary, Gabriel says: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28). Gabriel does not greet Mary by her name. Rather, he greets her by a truly revealing title, “full of grace”—literally, the one who has been and remains graced (Greek kecharitomene). Thus, Mary’s true standing—her real name—is revealed. She is the one who has been graced by God. She is defined by what God has done for her.

St. Paul reminds the boastful Corinthians: “What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?” (1 Cor. 4:7). At another point, Paul will say of himself: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). For Paul, Christian identity consists in receiving one’s life from Christ. To be a Christian is to let our dependence on Christ become the core of our being. “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). When the angel calls Mary kecharitomene, he depicts her as one wholly dependent on God. She will later echo the same sentiment in her song of praise, describing God as the one who “has done great things for me,” who has “exalted those of low degree,” who has “filled the hungry with good things,” and who has “regarded the low estate of his handmaiden” (Luke 1:46–55).

Mary’s trust arises from the simplicity of her heart. She has no credentials, no claims to self-greatness apart from being graced by God. That her trustful yes somehow involves all of us inasmuch as her as the New Temple, all of creation gives adequate response to God.