Scene 2
(Mary’s home. Enter an angel.)ANGEL: Mary, Mary, I have a most special message for you from Above.
MARY: Special in what sense?
ANGEL: Special in a divine sense, in an illumining sense.
MARY: Ah, then tell me, do tell me.
ANGEL: Mary, the Lord is growing inside you.
MARY: The Lord?
ANGEL: The Lord of the Universe.
MARY: I don’t believe you. I simply can’t believe my ears. Don’t torture me, for God’s sake!
ANGEL: Am I torturing you, Mary?
MARY: Yes, you are. A torrent of fear is torturing my heart. A volcano of doubt is torturing my mind.
ANGEL: Be not afraid, for that does not become you. Be not wedded to doubt, for neither does that become you, Mary. I will tell you a secret: Infinity you embody; Eternity is your heart; Immortality is your life. Jesus, the son of God, is inside you, Mary. He shall save his people. He shall rule the length and breadth of the world forever. Do you want to know how?
MARY: How?
ANGEL: He will not rule the world with the sword-power. He will rule the world with his heart-power, with his love-power.
MARY: Heart-power and love-power: are they two different things?
ANGEL: No, they are one. Heart is love. Love is heart.
MARY: At last I am really happy. You have given me the supreme message. What can I give you in return?
ANGEL: Nothing. Just believe what I have said.
MARY: I believe you now. I accept your message most gratefully.
ANGEL: Mary, your acceptance of my message is my highest reward. Mary, you are immaculate. You are great. You are divine. Mary, before I leave I give you another piece of good news. Your cousin Elizabeth, too, will have a child.
MARY: Wonderful, wonderful! I shall visit her shortly.
ANGEL: That is a splendid idea, indeed.
(Exit Angel.)
MARY: O Lord, You are giving me Your beloved son. I am an ignorant woman. I know nothing. But I do know that You are all Forgiveness, all Compassion and all Love.
(Mary sings.)
Ah! simple to learn my Supreme’s Message-Light,
Easy to do His glowing and fulfilling Task.
In me now sings and sports His Nectar-Day.
In His Glory’s sky, my Goal and I shall bask.
