Source: View original Google Doc Converted: 2026-04-22
Introduction
St. Mary’s fiat — “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) — is the most famous yes in history. But her “yes” was not a single moment. It was a lifetime of trust sustained through trial after trial. To truly understand her faith, we must walk with her through each suffering.
The Annunciation (Luke 1:26–38)
“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.’” — Luke 1:30–31
The Trial of the Annunciation
For a young betrothed woman to become pregnant before marriage was, in her culture, a potential death sentence. She could be divorced, publicly shamed, or stoned. Yet she said:
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” — Luke 1:38
This is not naive compliance — it is informed, costly trust. She knew the risk. She said yes anyway.
Joseph’s Decision (Matthew 1:18–21)
“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” — Matthew 1:19
Before the angel appeared to Joseph, Mary endured the silence of a man who loved her but did not yet understand. She could not explain. She could only wait.
The trial: Trust without explanation, faith without vindication — yet.
The Birth in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1–7)
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” — Luke 2:7
The Mother of God gave birth in a stable. No room. No midwife. No comfort. She wrapped the eternal Son of God in strips of cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough.
The trial: The gap between the angel’s proclamation (“You will bear the Son of the Most High” — Luke 1:32) and the reality of a manger and a stable.
The Flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13–23)
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” — Matthew 2:13
In the night, in secret, Mary fled with Joseph and the infant Jesus to Egypt — as refugees, in a foreign land, far from family and home.
The trial: Exile, fear, displacement — and the slaughter of the Holy Innocents happening because of her son.
The Trials of St. Mary: A Summary
| Trial | Scripture | Nature of the Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Unexpected pregnancy | Luke 1:26–38 | Social shame, potential death |
| Joseph’s doubt | Matt 1:18–21 | Unexplained suffering, misunderstanding |
| Birth in a stable | Luke 2:1–7 | Poverty, humiliation, lack of care |
| Simeon’s prophecy | Luke 2:34–35 | Foreknowledge of suffering — “a sword will pierce your own soul” |
| Flight to Egypt | Matt 2:13–23 | Exile, danger, displacement |
| Losing Jesus in the Temple | Luke 2:41–51 | Three days of anguish |
| Standing at the Cross | John 19:25–27 | The fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy |
Holy Astonishment
Throughout the Gospel of Luke, St. Mary is described as pondering these things in her heart (Luke 2:19, 2:51). She did not understand everything. She did not always know why. But she held the mysteries with what the Fathers call holy astonishment — a reverent, faith-filled wondering that neither denies the pain nor loses trust in God.
“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” — Luke 2:19
Suffering Transformed in Christ
The theology of St. Mary’s suffering is not masochism — it is participation in the mystery of the Cross. Her suffering was not meaningless. It was taken up into the redemptive work of her Son.
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” — Colossians 1:24
We do not suffer alone. Our suffering is joined to His. St. Mary shows us what it looks like to say “let it be to me” not just at the Annunciation, but at every trial.
Practical Application: The Mary Response
When the trial comes — the unexpected diagnosis, the relationship that breaks, the plan that collapses — what does the Mary response look like?
- Pause before panic — “How can this be?” (Luke 1:34) — she asked a question before she despaired
- Listen for the angel — in Scripture, in prayer, in spiritual direction, the word of God comes
- Ponder, don’t suppress — “She treasured these things in her heart” — honest grief is not faithlessness
- Say the fiat — “Let it be to me according to Your word” — not “I understand,” but “I trust”
Prayer to the Theotokos
O Most Holy Theotokos, who said “yes” when it cost you everything — intercede for us in our trials. Teach us to hold our sorrows as you held yours: without bitterness, without despair, with the holy astonishment of one who trusts the God who makes all things new. Help us to say, in our own moments of Annunciation: “Let it be to me according to Your word.” Amen.