It always seems to come back to this. This window represents the moment Mary's waiting began. The angel came to her, and she assented to bear God's own self into the world. For nine months she waited. But it was not an empty waiting, was it? Her body changed, revealing outwardly what was happening inwardly.
It was not just a physical change. Each day, as new life grew within her, she must have grown in love and wonder, perhaps with a tinge of fear - that unsettling unknowing of the future that plagues us all. I wonder how her prayer life changed in those months leading up to Jesus' birth. I wonder how her understanding of herself and the world around her changed. I wonder to whom she reached out for guidance and reassurance.
We know that she went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. I love to imagine the two of them, processing together the facts and implications of their pregnancies. It makes me realize anew the importance of community - safe spaces to express fears and frustrations, joys and hopes.
Our individual journeys are unique. We each are called to bear something of God into the world. We cannot literally bear what another is called to do. But we can be there with a listening ear, a smile, encouragement, a prayer. This Advent season, remember we are not waiting in isolation, but in community. Like Mary and Elizabeth, let's share our stories and be curious about what God is doing in each other's lives, and what it means for our world.