Gospel in Art: 'I am the handmaid of the Lord'

Ecce Ancilla Domini! (The Annunciation), Dante Gabriel Rossetti © Tate Gallery, London

Source: Christian Art

Fourth Sunday in Advent
Gospel of 24 December 2023
Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.' She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.' Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?' 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you' the angel answered 'and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.' 'I am the handmaid of the Lord,' said Mary 'let what you have said be done to me.' And the angel left her.

Reflection on the painting

It doesn't happen very often that the fourth Sunday of Advent coincides with Christmas Eve. The Season of Advent this year has indeed been shorter than usual. The waiting of Advent has been reduced to three weeks. On this eve of Christmas Day some of us therefore may feel that we could do with a little more time to prepare for Christmas. We may feel that everything isn't quite ready. Some of us may even feel that everything isn't quite right at a personal level or at the level of our family this Christmas. Christmas can have a way of magnifying the sense of everything not being quite perfect.

The same could be said of the scene in today's gospel reading. We hear of a young woman, called Mary, perhaps only in her early teens, who lives in an unknown village in a province on the very edge of the Roman Empire. She is betrothed to a young man in her village, named Joseph. Betrothal was much more than our engagement in the West. The couple had entered into a legally binding relationship, probably at the initiative of the two sets of parents, who knows. They were married in the eyes of the law, without actually living together as husband and wife, which would usually only happen after twelve months of being betrothed. Yet, it is revealed to Mary by God that during this time of betrothal she is to conceive and give birth to a son. This child would be just her son, but would also be God's Son. It is no surprise that Mary is portrayed as distressed and full of incomprehension. We read that she was 'deeply disturbed' by the words of Gabriel.

Yet, in the midst of this messy situation from a human point of view, God brought forth an extraordinary blessing, not just for Mary and Joseph, but for all of humanity! The Holy Spirit was powerfully at work in what was, from a human perspective, a very difficult situation. Perhaps there is a message here for all of us this Christmas. When all does not seem well with us, when our lives seem to us and to others to be somewhat out of kilter, we can be tempted to think that the Lord has abandoned us. Yet, perhaps it is above all in those times that the Lord is most intimately with us.

Painting depicting the Annunciation show Mary on the whole being very receptive, pious and graceful. Few paintings show the initial fright Mary must have had, the 'deeply disturbed' as described in the Gospel. Our painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti was inspired by the work of early Renaissance artists such as Botticelli (1445-1510) and Fra Angelico (1387-1455). We immediately see that this painting is a radical reinterpretation of the Annunciation. Traditionally the Virgin was depicted in pious contemplation, reading a missal whilst kneeling; but here Rossetti shows Mary rising awkwardly from a low bed, as if disturbed from sleep, while the Angel Gabriel presents her with a white lily. Both figures are dressed in white, symbol of purity. The angel's role as the messenger of God is emphasised by the small white dove hovering beside him, signifying the presence of the Holy Spirit in the moment.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-1-26-38-2023-4/