When Gabriel Comes Calling
“For nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37).
Encountering a Thoughtful Messenger
It must be quite a shock to have an archangel standing in front of you.
It may bring comfort, however, to hear that Gabriel seems to try to soften the alarm of the people to whom he delivers good but unbelievable news: “Do not be afraid,” he says during his conversations with both Zecheriah (Elizabeth’s husband) and Mary (Luke 1:13 and Luke 1:30).
That statement seems thoughtful and demonstrates that when a messenger from God comes calling, he understands our concerns.
Hearing Unbelievable Messages
What would an archangel come to tell us?
Scripture shows us that Gabriel says incredible things about events that are not humanly possible. He informs Zecheriah that he and his wife, both of advanced age, will have a son, known later to us as John the Baptist. In the annunciation, Gabriel is also the one who proclaims to Mary, a virgin, that she will bear a son and be the mother of God—Jesus, the one for whom the world has waited hundreds of years.
Both Zecheriah and Mary are troubled upon hearing the news. Zecheriah responds, “How shall I know this?” Mary responds, “How can this be?”
Of the two responses, it seems that Mary’s answer was more acceptable to Gabriel. Zecheriah’s response displays his need for “spiritual assuredness,” because it lacks faith and hope, as colorfully explained by EWTN’s Mother Angelica (here, bottom of the page, at minute 24:35). His response leads to an instructive consequence, as Zechariah is made speechless until John’s birth. (For a good laugh, watch Mother Angelica at minute 27, when she shares her thoughts about what Elizabeth’s response was when Zecheriah returned home and could not speak.)
Mary, however, avoids such a consequence, perhaps because we hear her proclaim an affirmative “yes” to whatever God calls on her to do.
Saying “Yes” to the Good News
Gabriel informs Mary that the lineage of David, which was thought to have been severed 600 years earlier, was actually just “underground” and was about to be brought into the light once again. Mary, a young Jewish woman who would have known how significant that proclamation was, must have been stunned.
Like Mary, are we ready to receive extraordinary news? If Gabriel appeared before us, told us not to be afraid, and then shared news that sounded impossible, would we be prepared to say “yes”? Or, would we take Zecheriah’s approach and seek spiritual assuredness, pushing to the side our hope and faith?
Celebrating the Messenger
The joint feast day of archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael serves as a reminder for us to revisit how they carried out their role as messenger, protector, and healer. Gabriel’s actions provide us, as professionals and sisters in Christ, a template for communicating with clients, customers, vendors, and colleagues as well as people in our personal life. When we share the good news, even when it sounds impossible, and encourage others not to be afraid, we imitate Gabriel and celebrate the role we are each called to as God’s messengers.
Linda A. Burrows is an attorney specializing in trust and estate law in southern California. She studied journalism at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, law at Pepperdine, and is currently pursuing a masters in tax law at Georgetown. Linda is the founder of Soul Soda, a non-profit with the mission of refreshing faith in those, particularly Catholics, who are feeling disconnected from their religious roots. She is a wife and mother of three teens. Linda’s Confirmation name was that of St. Gabriel the Archangel.