Appreciating pregnancy as a miraculous gift
The angel Gabriel was sent from Godto 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 saidand
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.”There are some things I will never get to do as a priest -- and for which I am eternally grateful! I will never have to take a Natural Family Planning class, and have to learn about mucus. I will never have to attend a Lamaze class and learn about proper breathing techniques. I won't become an expert in ecological breast-feeding or know how long breast milk keeps in the fridge. You don't want to know how long a gallon of milk sits in my fridge. I guess I'll just be happy living the deprived life of a celibate priest.
But even I know what today's feast of the Annunciation is about -- do you? Today is March 25, which is exactly nine months before what important date? All the accountants at Mass know nine months from today is December 25. And what human process typically takes around nine months to complete? Pregnancy. That's why today the Church celebrates the Annunciation -- the "announcement" of the Angel Gabriel -- the moment of the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Nine months from today Jesus will be born in Bethlehem. Why even a celibate priest knows that.
Now, you should know that there are certain currents in society today that look down on pregnancy and see maternity as something which holds women back from fulfillment and happiness. I recently read the book "Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan, who said women will only be happy when they leave the home and enter the workplace. And there may be a lot of truth to that. John Paul II, however, taught us something different called "the feminine genius." Women have an intuitive grasp of God's goodness and grace, and therefore they have a lot to teach us, even in and through their pregnancy. We should humbly listen and learn from this "feminine genius" that women possess, especially from pregnant moms, like the Blessed Virgin Mary.
One priest I know calls women "walking miracles" because in their womb is the cradle of life, where another miraculous human life is conceived and carried. That's why I believe that Jesus first true miracle is not when he changed water into wine at the wedding in Cana in Galilee. Rather, Jesus first miracle was his Incarnation -- his becoming a baby -- in the womb of Mary, and we should learn Mary's "feminine genius" for the next nine months. Mary's pregnancy was Jesus first true miracle. Indeed, a true miracle happens every time a woman gets pregnant. And you won't learn that in your Lamaze class.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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