Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
by Kristen West McGuire
Part Two of a nine part series on Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women) by St. John Paul the Great.
Well, shoot, who doesn’t?
Occasionally, thanks to the lottery or some game show, one of “us” hits it big. Millionaire! It’s a really compelling story! It resonates with our hearts – we’re happy for the schmuck who won, and maybe a little envious.
The larger context makes the ‘millionaire mirage’ look a little shallow. I know I’m not the only one who has cried over the evening news. Young men killed in senseless wars. Floods sweeping away young girls. Families broken up by infidelity. This sure isn’t heaven. It’s not a perfect world, some might remind me. That’s true.
What do I expect? I do hold in my heart the hope that tomorrow might be a better day across the world, and I know I am not alone in that absurd hope. In ancient Israel, they expected a new king- the Messiah. And, in fact, expected that some lucky woman would give birth to Him. They just were not quite ready for the Messiah to be born of the Holy Spirit, making that lucky mother the Theotokos, the Mother of God. Now, there’s a lottery for you.
And, in order to receive the Messiah, Mary must consent to an incredible miracle of Grace — a Grace that upends her world. She suffers as a misunderstood mother but also as the primary witness to her Son’s suffering and death on a cross. The story of Christianity is that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross is the source of our redemption.
Jesus is our entry point into the world our hearts were truly created to embrace. But Jesus’ story didn’t begin with the cross; rather, the gospel begins with the warm embrace of his mother, Mary.
Who wants to be the Theotokos?
There had been talk of a Messiah, someone who would come to reveal the fullness of Jewish identity and an era of peace — the Messianic Age. Mary found herself full of grace. She consented, and it was done to her, “according to the angel’s word.” What did she expect?
The Magnificat records a few of her thoughts. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For he has looked with favor on his lowly handmaid. From this day, all generations shall call me blessed.” The exact Greek translation of handmaid is, dŏulē, pronounced doo-lay. It means, “female slave.”
Ponder that a minute. Mary is visited by the angel, agrees to become pregnant (out of wedlock!), and proclaims herself God’s slave. And then goes on to praise Him in the highest of terms. Merciful. Powerful. Just. The young woman, full of grace, was a most unusual slave! Mary united her will to God's so that she could respond as a slave: immediately and without question. He’s God…and she is not God.
Alone in the ancient world, the Jewish people understood God to be neither male nor female. And God had a personal relationship with the Jewish people. Women didn’t exactly have full citizenship, at least in the earthly order. You can’t tell me Mary was oblivious to that fact.
But, her life becomes the prototype for every Christian believer. A woman, Mary, is given the honor of bringing forth the Messiah. But in a way beyond what anyone expected! Conceived by the Holy Spirit, brought forth as a human infant?! The ultimate humility is Jesus, the Son of God, clothed in human form and subject to all of our human vulnerabilities. True God and true man, begotten, not made. And brought forth from a woman!
What does it mean to be the ‘slave’ of a loving God? Mary received the faith to say, Yes. She unites the joy of being a creature created by God with the steely assent to serve God with her life. His mission for her would require every ounce of her faith to perform.
Our hearts do yearn for the divine, and we sense (rightly) that all is not right on this planet, that there is a serious disorder in our midst. Mary’s life is an anticipation of the fullness of redemption. Do we dare to follow her in receiving Christ with great joy…and humble ourselves in servitude to the One who has come to set us free?
I’m not sure that every surprise millionaire knows what to expect. Neither do we as Christians, as men and women called away from our expectations to a richness we haven’t seen before. The story of the handmaiden is that God’s Grace will prepare us for all that He asks us to do.
