How Can This Be?

How Can This Be? Unveiling the Mysteries

Have you ever noticed that our Blessed Mother’s first words in the Gospel of St. Luke are repeated, in one form or another, throughout the gospels? Luke 1:34a reads, “But Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be?'”

“How can this be?” The people of Nazareth were thinking much the same thing after hearing Jesus speak with remarkable authority and wisdom. They wondered, “Where did this man get all this?… Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mark 6:2-3). I imagine that His disciples were asking themselves the same question as they gathered up twelve baskets full of leftovers after serving five thousand men with only five loaves and two fish. And then there was Nicodemus. He was a leader of the Jewish community, a well-educated man, but when Jesus told him that he must be born again, he was completely baffled. He asked Jesus, “How can this be?” (John3:9). On the first Easter morning, untold numbers of disciples, witnesses, and Roman soldiers stood outside an empty tomb asking the same question. “How can this be?” Perhaps most disheartening for Jesus was the response of the crowd when He said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51). Again, they wondered, “How can this be?” and many of them “returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him“(John 6:66).

These are some of the most essential mysteries of our faith: the mystery of the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and the divinity of Jesus, of rebirth in the Spirit and of the Eucharist.

Jesus had devoted the major portion of His ministry to answering these difficult questions as He unveiled the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Because Mary was not challenging the angel when she asked, “How can this be?” God gave her the grace to take Him at His word. But sadly, Jesus often came up against closed minds and hardened hearts. To use a modern expression, He wanted them to think “outside the box,” but old ideas die hard; and His efforts to enlighten the people were not always well received. St. Matthew devotes a whole chapter (#13) to Jesus’ teachings regarding the Kingdom of God. In the final verses Jesus returns to Nazareth and again meets resistance and doubt. “And he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Mt 13:58).

Every day the readings of the Church give us the opportunity to sit at the feet of the Master and listen as He unveils the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps there will be things that are hard to understand; but if we listen with open hearts, doubts and questions won’t cause us to ask, “How can this be?” and turn away. Instead, we can stand beside Peter and say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life“ (John 6:68).