As the daughter of the Father, the spouse of the Holy Spirit and mother of the Savior, Mary was a woman of faith. Even before the conception of Jesus in her womb, she was among the “anawin” of Israel, believing and expecting the promises of God to send a Messiah to be fulfilled, hopefully in her lifetime.  Pope Francis said: “In Mary . . . is fulfilled the long history of faith of the Old Testament, with its account of so many faithful women, beginning with Sarah: women who, alongside the patriarchs, were those in whom God's promise was fulfilled and new life flowered."

Little did she expect to be called by God to be the mother of the Messiah. Her faith in the word of God is stretched.  She is to become the mother by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.  She is the first to have faith, to be a believer.  Mary didn’t seek proof from Gabriel when she received his startling news.  She trusted and believed.

Mary first conceived Jesus in faith and then in the flesh, when she said “yes” to the message God gave her through the angel. What does this mean?  The fathers of the Church said, “It means that God did not want to become man by ignoring our freedom; he wanted to pass through Mary’s free assent, her 'yes’”. Mary, we pray for a deeper faith.