Two questions with two different results: when Zechariah received the astonishing news of his son’s birth he asked the angel, “How shall I know this?” Mary’s response to the angel’s announcement to her was “How can this be?” Zechariah is slapped down for his question. Mary is encouraged for hers. It is not questioning God that is the issue but how the question is raised. Zechariah had a cynical, skeptical undertone to his question — the equivalent of “as if.” Mary had an open, curious quality in her question. “That’s interesting. Now how is this going to happen?” Our own prayer should be like Mary’s — when we question God it should always be with the confidence that the divine answer will be the right one.
