Fr. Michael writes: The Gospel today does not begin with what Mary does; it begins with what God does through Mary. When Mary is chosen to be the Mother of God’s Son, God’s choice of her is not a reward, rather, God’s choice of Mary is the result of God’s freedom to choose Mary from among all women. When God chooses Mary, his choice makes her worthy, as his love has made her full of grace. The difference between us and Mary is not that Mary was chosen while we are not; rather, it is that she fully responded to being chosen for her role, while we remain hesitant and half-hearted about responding to what God asks of us.4th Sunday of Advent