Hebrews 10.4-10; Luke 1. 26-38
‘When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.’
Paul McCartney, the singer-songwriter of the band, The Beatles, was once interviewed about these opening lines to his hit song, ‘Let it be’, and why he wrote them. It turns out that it is not the case, as many have supposed, that he was inspired by the Gospel reading that we have just heard, and the response of Our Lady, Blessed Mary, to the angelic message: ‘Let it be unto me according to your word.’
Instead, he said that he wrote the song because of a dream, in which his mother, who had died about 10 years previously, appeared to him at a particularly stressful time in his life, and simply said to him to not worry about everything that was going on, but to just ‘let it be’. Hence the refrain of his famous song: ‘let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.’
This might be pretty wise advice, especially in our frenetically busy and stressful age, when there is so much to worry about. In a society obsessed with control, whether technological or political, or simply in terms of our day-to-day relationships with others, a bit of ‘letting be’ might go a long way.
Furthermore, in an aggressively consumerist culture such as ours, the act of letting things be, rather than reaching out and grabbing everything that might attract our fancy, might be a radical posture of respect, especially in terms of our relations with our fellow human beings, and the natural environment around us.
However, the words, ‘Let it be,’ spoken by Blessed Mary, Virgin and Mother, are far more significant than in the articulation given them by Mrs McCartney in her son’s dream. These words of wisdom are not the fruit of a merely passive resignation to reality. Neither are they the expression of someone who is content simply to sit on the outside of some process that will unfold regardless of her participation in it.
Instead, Blessed Mary’s, ‘Let it be unto me according to your word,’ is an expression of active obedience and faithfulness to the Word of God. It is her ‘yes’ to God, her consent – her fiat, to use the traditional expression – whereby she actively co-operates with the fullness of grace given her, so that her freely willed obedience, her very own active co-operation, is the doorway through which the mercy and salvation of God enter the world in Christ.
Therefore, one of Blessed Mary’s ancient titles is: ‘Second Eve’, or ‘New Eve’.
I’d like to spend a few moments reflecting on the reasons for this title, and why it should matter for us, especially during this season of Lent, when we pray that our hearts will be more and more open to the Word of God being born in us.
As early as the second century, the great Church Father, St Irenaeus, theologian and bishop of Lyon, who defended the faith against the heresy of Gnosticism, wrote these words: ‘The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.’ (Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter 22.)
In other words, if the fall of the human race occurred, at least in part, through Eve’s disobedience, then salvation has arrived because of Mary’s obedience.
If we think about it, there are many parallels between the figures of Eve and Mary.
First, both have significant encounters with angels. At the Annunciation, Blessed Mary is greeted by the Archangel Gabriel, who brings to her greetings and a message from God. In the Garden of Eden, Eve encounters the serpent, who is traditionally interpreted as a fallen angel, bringing a message of lies and deceit, in order to tempt her away from the will of God.
Secondly, in the tradition, not only Mary, but also Eve, is interpreted to be a virgin at the moment of her encounter with this angelic figure.
Thirdly, as we have already seen from St Irenaeus, there is the contrasting parallel of obedience and disobedience to God’s word. Eve is tempted to disobey the divine commandment to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; and sin, death, and curses are the consequence of her disobedience. On the other hand, Blessed Mary consents to the word of the Lord, and salvation and the birth of Christ, the blessed one, are the consequences of her obedience.
Fourthly, Eve’s act of disobedience consists in reaching out to take the fruit of the forbidden tree, whereas Blessed Mary’s act of obedience consists in receiving as a gift the Word of God within herself. She goes to tell her cousin, Elizabeth, who says in response, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’ (Luke 1:42) Indeed, just as Eve took and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and death ensued, the fruit of Mary’s womb, Jesus Christ, hung upon the tree of the cross, so that he might give his body and blood as the food and drink which bring eternal life.
Fifthly, and finally, in the Book of Genesis, God causes a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, opens his side, takes a rib, and creates Eve, whom Adam initially calls ‘Woman’, and later he calls her Eve because she is the ‘Mother of all the living.’ (Genesis 2:21-23; 3:20) Likewise, in St John’s Gospel, Mary appears twice, and both times she is simply called, ‘Woman’. On the second occasion she is standing with St John at the foot of the cross, and as Jesus’s side is opened by the Roman soldier’s spear, just moments before the sleep of death falls upon him, Christ addresses his mother, saying, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and the beloved disciple, saying, ‘Here is your mother.’ (John 19: 26-27) In other words, she is the mother of all disciples who receive the gift of Christ’s life.
And so, what we celebrate today is just what St Irenaeus says: ‘The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.’ In other words, we celebrate and honour Blessed Mary as the New Eve in the drama of salvation; the one through whose faith and obedience God’s mercy and life enters the world.
Furthermore, the example of Blessed Mary shows us that in the drama of salvation, God works through the co-operation of the human will. He will not force his mercy and grace upon us. They are gifts which must be freely received.
It is the particular honour of St Mary that she was chosen to be the Mother of the Lord, but she had to give her yes; she had to co-operate with the grace of God, and freely and faithfully obey to be the door of divine mercy. And for that we honour her.
And as we journey through Lent, this feast day is a reminder that God waits to be gracious to us too, but we must follow the blessed example of Our Lady in prayerfully creating the space for the Word of the Lord to come to birth in each of us. This is costly, as it was for Mary, but if we obey, then we, too, shall see the salvation of our God.