My daughter sent me an interesting post by a woman named Rev. Lizzie – I will post her piece later – called, “Could Mother Mary Consent?” My quick response was that I’ve preached on this many times and yes – Mary had to have free-will, so she had a choice. Otherwise, her pregnancy would have been forced on her, and we know the term for that, don’t we? God is not an abuser of anyone; God gives us the gift of free-will that we should cherish. The problem with much of what passes for Christian theology is that the idea that “God is in control” makes a mockery of our freedom and our responsibility. And yes – Jesus chose freely as well. If we believe that He was fully human, then we have to believe that He could have walked away from the cross. But, back to Mary.
Too many men believe that the parts of the Bible that pertain to women being submissive – which I maintain is not from God but from men – gives men the right to control women in every aspect of their lives. How they dress – when they can speak – how they vote – if they get an education – you get the picture. This is misogyny, not faithfulness. They point to the writings of Paul and others to support this imbalance; they point to Mary as the obedient handmaiden of God. However, if you read the story found in Luke 1, the angel says, “you will.” That can be taken two ways – 1) it is a command or, 2) it is in the future tense (I choose 2). And Mary doesn’t meekly say okay; she argues with the angel, stating the obvious. “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Once again, the angel says – twice – that the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Future, not a command. Then – pay attention misogynists – Mary said yes. Mary consented. Mary had a choice. Just as women should have the choice to say yes or no.
No person has the right to force themselves on another. God did not force Mary to say yes. God did not force Jesus to say yes. God calls and people say yes or no, often saying no first and then, after a time of arguing the point and discernment, agreeing. I cannot believe in a God of control; a God that does not allow each of us to choose our path. That doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want or that we will always get our way; when billions of people have free-will, people are bound to get bumped around. When it comes to our bodies, though, God has given us autonomy. The right to choose is God-given. If you force yourself on someone, you need to go to jail. Better yet, let’s teach boys how to respect others and themselves. Too many lives have been ruined by male privilege.
Prayer – Holy God, we shouldn’t have to say this but help us to guide boys to be better. Amen. Today’s art is The Madonna del Rosario is an icon of Mary commonly dated to the sixth century or earlier. It is the oldest image of Mary found in Rome.