Did Mary Know?

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

Isn’t this one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible? I think so. Think about it for a second; before Jesus was born his entire life was planned out and God knew what was going to happen with his Son, son of Mary. This brings to my mind one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever written. Mary Did You Know? A lot of groups sing it. It gives me chills every time I hear it.

 And it makes me stop and think what must have been going through Mary’s mind when the angel appeared to her. She was a virgin – how was Joseph going to react to the news that she was with child? What would her parents think? What would everybody think? In that day and age being pregnant out of wedlock was a huge no-no. A woman could be stoned to death for such an infraction of what was a moral code in that time. She had to be scared out of her mind.  Her mind must have been racing with thousands of thoughts and concerns. Not only was she going to give birth to a child that for all purposes to all who looked upon her was conceived out of wedlock.

But the child is actually the son of God. Who would believe that story? Joseph didn’t believe it at first, but he came around soon enough. I can not imagine having to deal with what this woman was about to go through.

Can you imagine her thoughts?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?

This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would calm the storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy
Has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby
You kiss the face of God
Mary, did you know?
Mary, did you know?

Mary, did you know? Did you know?
Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?
Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?
Mary, did you know? Mary, did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb
Mary, did you know that your baby boy

Is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy
Is heaven’s perfect Lamb?

That sleeping child you’re
Holding is the great, I Am
Mary, did you know? (Mary, did you know?)
Mary, did you know? (Mary, did you know?)
Mary, did you know? Oh

What a beautiful group of words! WOW! Did Mary know any of this? She certainly knew that the baby she was carrying was very special, but could she have any idea of all the miracles He would perform? The blind would be given sight, the deaf would regain their hearing and the lame would leap. He would calm storms, feed thousands and best of all he will give up his life for all of us. I don’t think she hand any idea that her little baby would do all that and more. It just gives me chills and brings a tear to my eye when I hear this song.

We have a local radio station here in Albuquerque that play nothing but Christmas music beginning the day after Thanksgiving. I leave the house every morning at the same time and I pull into my parking place the same time every morning. I sit in my car for a few minutes and wait because every morning at 7:23 they play Mary Did You Know, the Pentatonix acapella version. It’s a great way to start the day because it reminds me every morning what our Lord and Savior went through and also what Mary went through.

When we pray the Hail Mary we should be mindful of what she experienced: Blessed art thou among women and blessed was the fruit of her womb, for without the fruit of her womb there would be no hope for us. We should think of Mary and Jesus when we pray the rosary, and pray the rosary every day.

Happy Holidays, God Bless us all, and thank you Mary for what you gave us.

Hail Mary, 
Full of Grace, 
The Lord is with thee. 
Blessed art thou among women, 
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus. 
Holy Mary, 
Mother of God, 
pray for us sinners now, 
and at the hour of our death.

Amen

Here is a link to one of my favorite versions of Mary Did You Know just in case you want to listen. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCWN5pJGIE