Annunciation

O Key of David, O royal power of Israel,
controlling at your will the gate of heaven:
Come, break down the prison walls of death
for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and lead your captive people into freedom.

Do you think Mary could have said 'no' to the angel Gabriel when he came to her with news of her impending pregnancy? I guess she could have. What would have happened if she did?

"Annunciation" by Denise Levertov

Aren't there annunciations
of one sort or another
in most lives?

Some unwillingly
undertake great destinies,
enact them in sullen pride,
uncomprehending.

More often
those moments
when roads of light and storm
open from darkness in a man or woman,
are turned away from
in dread, in a wave of weakness, in despair
and with relief.
Ordinary lives continue.
God does not smite them.
But the gates, close, the pathway vanishes.

"Like the ancient Israelites in the desert, we can long for the security of the world we knew in Egypt. Slaves, after all, have the security of knowing their place in the world. Or, like, Mary, we can say "Yes" to the new, uncertain reality that promises true freedom. Saying "Yes" to God will always mean more than we can possibly imagine, both for us, and for others."
(God With Us, p. 108)