I asked high school students last week to visualize Mary, depicted so well in The Nativity Story, conflicted, wondering how anyone would believe her story about the Holy Spirit conceiving in her a child.
When you wonder how this teenaged Jewish girl might have felt to be the mother of the Messiah, ask teenagers how they might feel . . .
Students wrote their feelings on cards and here are a few things they wrote, compiled in one paragraph:
I would be confused but happy in a way, I am overwhelmed, humbled, scared but excited, awed, honored, scared spitless, loved, sacred, angry, unbelievable, amazed, WOW! then I would faint, wouldn’t know what to think, doubtful, afraid, honored God chose me, a spiritual peace and logical fear and she says to herself, “this is what I was made for,” curious, mysterious, proud, worried, joyful, anxious, unready for responsibilities to come, WOW, me Lord? You want me to do this for you!?
Photo: Keisha Castle-Hughes stars as “Mary” in New Line Cinema’s release of Catherine Hardwicke’s drama, The Nativity Story. Photo Credit: ©2006 Jaimie Trueblood/New Line Productions
I enjoyed reading those thoughts by the teens. I loved seeing the movie and felt like it did a great job of brining out the tough side to this event that most of us have probably never considered.