How many young women received permission before teenage Mary answered “yes” to the angel Gabriel’s invitation to bear the Son of God? Consent cannot be forced. If you are punished for saying no, that is not consent. So 15-year-old Abby considers the invitation, marries her fiancé, and… his Baby Gabriel smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Abby. Even if it’s not your calling, it will be someone else’s, and that’s okay. You are still deeply loved and cherished by God.” As he left her home, he offered her peace.
Fourteen-year-old Ramona looked straight into Gabriel’s eyes. “Are you kidding me? I’m not ready for that yet.” whose mother! But thank you for thinking of me. ” Gabriel smiled sweetly again and hugged her, thanking her for speaking so clearly. “This is definitely not a job for every woman,” he said. He notices that she is in pain and reassures her that this does not mean God is angry with her. And he felt relieved.
Later, Gabriel visited Dottie. Dottie was 16 years old, a little older and very wise. “Dottie, would you be willing to give birth to a child of God?” he asked. “What does that involve?” she asked. Gabriel explained everything he could, but Dottie needed to be honest. she asked. know Are you working for this God? ” Gabriel laughed. “God knows and loves you. Isn’t that what matters?” She wrinkled her nose and began to worry that if she didn’t agree to this proposal, she might be thrown into darkness (she didn’t know what that meant). “No, not at all,” said the angel. “God is looking for someone who really wants this job and has no hard feelings toward anyone who doesn’t.” He offered her peace and moved on.
He also found a 15-year-old girl who was very religious. “Maybe Simone would be interested,” Gabriel thought. Simone seriously considered the invitation, but was worried about, well, how to explain her out-of-wedlock pregnancy. She was part of a militant faith community that sought purity. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this job,” Simone told Gabriel. At this point, Gabriel was tired of being rejected. Still, Simone always wanted to please God, so she had to ask, “Will God be terribly angry at my rejection?” Gabriel gently replied, “No, God is not upset. I am saddened, but this invitation was freely given and God wants it to be freely accepted. You are still beloved in God’s eyes. We will find another job for you.”
Gabriel did not want to visit Rachel because he knew she was “spiritual but not religious,” but he felt he would be rejected again. But he always delivered God’s message. Sixteen-year-old Rachel asked the angel about 100 great and important questions. By this time Gabriel was very tired and needed a sofa to lie down on. “Do you want to accept this invitation or not?” he asked. Raquel shook her head and RSVPed. “Tell God I’m grateful to have been chosen, but what He wants is too big a task for me. I love Him, but I don’t know Him well enough to take this step at this time.” Gabriel gathered his things and stood from the couch. He offered her peace and assured her that saying “no” was the right thing for her to do.
Gabriel was about to question God about the difficulty of this task he had been given, but because he liked to be seen as a successful angel who got results, he went ahead to visit young Clara. maybe she will one. After explaining everything he could, Gabriel asked, “Well…? What do you think?” Clara needed a lot of time to think about this. “Can you come back in a year or two?” she asked. “I would like to, but this is a very time-sensitive mission,” he said, rubbing his forehead in irritation. She noticed his distress. “Oh, would God be angry if I wanted more time?” she asked.
why is everyone asking me this? he wondered. Don’t they know that God is love and desires to have children only with those who enthusiastically consent?
Gabriel sat on a large flat rock outside Clara’s house and sought an audience with God. “This isn’t going our way,” he told his boss. God laughed. “I’ve never been in a relationship, so I don’t know what to expect. Sometimes people have to fall in love and be rejected many times before they find someone to commit to. Saying no doesn’t make them a bad person. In fact, it can become a numbers game.”
“Okay,” Gabriel said. “I will go and visit Mary of Nazareth, but I have not made any promises.” God laughed again. “If you don’t want to do this job, you don’t have to. I’m not going to force anyone to do it – you know that. Rafael might be happy to take over.”
“He’s good at healing, but I don’t know if he has a talent for talking,” Gabriel said. “It’s not that I don’t want to do the job. I just want to be successful at it!”
God reminded Gabriel that he was not seeking success, only faithfulness. (He quoted this line from Mother Teresa because for God time flows through the past, present, and future all at the same time.)
“Okay, Mary, that’s right,” Gabriel said.
And you know the rest of the story. Mary said, “Yes.”
Source: Spiritual Direction 101 – www.patheos.com
