Mary, Did You Know?Esimerkki

### Mary was blessed “From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.” (Luke 1:48-49) When the angel came to Mary, he said: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). Mary was confused, not only by the appearance of the angel but also by his words. She wondered what he meant. She was just an ordinary young woman, so why would she be “highly favored”? The rest of the story explains this. When Elizabeth greeted Mary, she exclaimed: “God has blessed you more than any other woman. And God has blessed the baby you will have. You are the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:42-43, ERV). And some verses later: “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45). So, what made Mary so blessed and favored? The fact that she was to carry the Son of God in her womb and the fact that she believed and accepted this wonderful announcement. Jesus says that hearing and keeping God’s word makes people truly blessed (Luke 11:28). That’s exactly what Mary did. Mary was blessed and she was the woman through whom God’s blessing reached the world. Do you feel blessed as well?