One of the most inspiring parts of Scripture is the statement that with God, nothing is impossible. It means that God can do that which is ordinarily taken to be unachievable. This is why He is called an omnipotent God. We often forget this reality, especially when we are overwhelmed with doubts and uncertainties. God’s omnipotence remains the basis for all acts of faith. It is at the centre of today’s feast of the Annunciation. God is coming to be with us. He is coming to address that which we consider impossible and to make it possible.
These are the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary in today’s Gospel. Mary’s question to the angel is as provocative as the angel’s response. In the face of the difficult proposal made to her by the angel of becoming the mother of the Messiah, of having to conceive, even when she has no male partner yet, she asks: How can this be? How is it possible? Surely, she does not ask the question out of a faithless frame of mind. Rather, she wants to know how the difficult situation can be overcome. Mary is evidently troubled as she sees the greatness of the proposal but feels her own limitations. We feel the same way with daunting tasks ahead, when the expectations far outweigh our human and individual capabilities. Mary’s calm mind, however, disposes her to listen to the explanations of the heavenly messenger. The Angel Gabriel goes on to relate to her how God will resolve the difficult situation in the present, just as He has always done, the most clamorous being the pregnancy of Elizabeth in her old age. This announcement of Elizabeth’s pregnancy dissolves every remaining doubt in Mary’s mind. Most probably, she already knows all about Elizabeth’s pathetic situation of childlessness and the gossips of the people regarding her situation. The angel knows that. That is why he presents it as a clear case stressing the fact that Elizabeth is the kinswoman of Mary. The changed situation of Elizabeth is a clear proof that with God nothing is really impossible. With this, Mary does not need any more proof to get convinced. She surrenders. Her mindset now is like that of the Psalmist of responsorial psalm from Psalm 40: Lord, here I am! I have come to do your will (Psalm 40:7-8). In a similar way, Mary confesses: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). The angel’s words must certainly keep ringing in her mind: with God, nothing is impossible.
Such words can heal any broken heart. We suffer mostly from the feeling that all is lost; all is gone; all hope is shattered. In this covid-19 era, many are frustrated by the oppressive reality of human weakness and radical helplessness. Many suffer from despair and many others suffer from the realization that they can no longer cope. There is the syndrome of “we cannot do it”. But Scripture always has a word for people who think in this way. Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 19:26: “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Because all things are possible with God, we never give way to despondency. Because, we know that He is Emmanuel – God with us, we always run to Him with confidence in every difficult situation. The prophet Isaiah says it loud and clear: “Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint” (Isa 40:30-31).
