THE EVERYDAY IMPOSSIBLE
Mary to the angel: "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" The angel Gabriel to her: "Nothing will be impossible for God."
The message Gabriel delivers to Mary is the news of impossible pregnancies, but what is the angel's message for us? It seems we might be given an opportunity to reflect on the many ways the seemingly impossible becomes real every day.
Consider our planet, its multibillion-year history, and the fact that it became perfectly calibrated to foster and sustain life. What a miracle our world is.
Consider our lives, the necessary factors that must align for human procreation. What a miracle you and I are.
Consider our creativity, the gifts of intellect and art and invention that God has so endowed us with. To look at art, to listen to music, to understand algebra -- these are amazing signs of what is possible with God. What a miracle this vision is.
The angel's message for us includes an invitation to pause and reflect during these busy days on what we take for granted as matter-of-fact and to consider that it is only by God's love and grace that all these things are possible.
(This reflection is by Fr. Daniel P. Horan, OFM, and appeared in GIVE US THIS DAY, a daily missalette, for December 20, 2014 as a reflection on the Gospel account of the Annunciation in the Gospel of Luke 1: 26-38)
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