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| “The Annunciation” by Francesco Albani, c. 1600 |
Reading 1: Isaiah
7:10-14; 8:10
The Lord spoke to Ahaz,
saying:
Ask for a sign from the Lord,
your God;
let it be deep as the nether
world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will
not tempt the Lord!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to
weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself
will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with
child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with
us!"
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Commentary on Is 7:10-14; 8:10
In the first part
of this reading King Ahaz is offered a sign by the Prophet Isaiah. However, Ahaz refuses the sign because it
would indicate that God was intervening on the prophet’s side and he did not
want to do that.
The sign that
would be given in spite of the King’s refusal is the oracle we understand
referring to the perfect realization of the promise of a Davidic Dynasty in the
birth of the Messiah – Christ Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary.
CCC: Is
7:14 497
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11
R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your
will.
Sacrifice or oblation you
wished not,
but ears open to obedience
you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings
you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I
come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come
to do your will.
"In the written scroll
it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is
my delight,
and your law is within my
heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come
to do your will.
I announced your justice in
the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips,
as you, O Lord, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come
to do your will.
Your justice I kept not hid
within my heart;
your faithfulness and your
salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your
kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come
to do your will.
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Commentary on Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11
While Psalm 40 is
a song of thanksgiving, it is also combined with a lament. The initial waiting
is satisfied by favor shown by God to one who is faithful in service to Him. In
these strophes is sung the thanksgiving of those who hear the voice of God and
obey his words. This obedience is loved by God above ritual sacrifices. The
Lord especially loves those who follow His law. Once heard, the good news is
proclaimed to all the people.
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Reading II: Hebrews
10:4-10
Brothers and sisters:
It is impossible that the
blood of bulls and goats
take away sins.
For this reason, when Christ
came into the world, he said:
"Sacrifice and offering
you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for
me;
in holocausts and sin
offerings you took no delight.
Then I said, 'As is written
of me in the scroll,
behold, I come to do your
will, O God.'"
First he says,
"Sacrifices and offerings,
holocausts and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor
delighted in."
These are offered according
to the law.
Then he says, "Behold, I
come to do your will."
He takes away the first to
establish the second.
By this "will," we
have been consecrated
through the offering of the
Body of Jesus Christ once for all.
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Commentary on Heb 10:4-10
The first strophe
from the selection in Psalm 40 is quoted here by the author and applied as if
it were Jesus addressing God, the Father.
The intent is to stress the scriptural understanding that the Hebrew
practice of animal sacrifice does not find favor with God and that Jesus
sacrifice of his own body is the one and only sacrifice acceptable.
CCC: Heb
10:5-10 606;
Heb 10:5-7 462,
516, 2568; Heb 10:5 488;
Heb 10:7 2824;
Heb 10:10 614,
2824
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Gospel: Luke
1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent
from God
to a town of Galilee
called Nazareth
to a virgin betrothed to a
man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was
Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace!
The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled
at what was said
and pondered what sort of
greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with
God.
Behold, you will conceive in
your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be
called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give
him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the
house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will
be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations
with a man?"
And the angel said to her in
reply,
"The Holy Spirit will
come upon you,
and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be
born
will be called holy, the Son
of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in
her old age,
and this is the sixth month
for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be
impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am
the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me
according to your word."
Then the angel departed from
her.
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Commentary on Lk 1:26-38
This passage from St. Luke’s
Gospel is the story of Mary being informed by the Archangel Gabriel that she
has been chosen for the great privilege of baring the Savior of the World. St.
Mary graciously accepts this honor although with very human fear indicating
that her free will is at play – making her obedience to God’s will more powerful.
It is proposed that with this acceptance, Mary entered into a vow of perpetual
virginity because of the demands of Isaiah 7:14 (“Therefore the Lord himself will give
you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name
him Immanuel.”)
In St. Luke’s story of the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel
comes to Mary and tells her she will bear a son and names him Jesus (the
eternal implication of this statement is made clear in the greeting which
presupposes knowledge of Mary’s entire existence). Mary confirms the title
“Virgin” given by the author as she questions Gabriel saying; “How can this
be, since I have not relations with a man?” Even though she does not
understand Mary accepts her role and is told that the Holy Spirit will be the
agent of the life within her and utters those amazing words: "Behold, I
am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
This announcement is parallel to Zechariah’s news about John the
Baptist (Luke 1:5-23), which
is also delivered by the Angel Gabriel. This passage clearly identifies Jesus
as Son of David and Son of God thus linking it with the messianic predictions from
the Old Testament.
CCC: Lk
1:26-38 497,
706, 723, 2571; Lk 1:26-27 488;
Lk 1:26 332;
Lk 1:28-37 494;
Lk 1:28 490,
491; Lk 1:31 430,
2812; Lk 1:32-33 709;
Lk 1:32 559;
Lk 1:34 484,
497, 505; Lk 1:35 437,
484, 486, 697; Lk 1:37-38 494;
Lk 1:37 148,
269, 273, 276; Lk 1:38 64,
148, 510, 2617, 2677, 2827, 2856
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Reflection:
To our thinking it is ironic
that the Solemnity of the Annunciation should fall in late March – a time in
the liturgical calendar that sometimes puts it in the middle of Lent and at
others after Easter. The event itself,
should Christ’s story be told chronologically, would be at the very
beginning. The Annunciation after all is
the story of the Lord’s conception by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
says this about the Annunciation:
484 The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates "the fullness of time", the time of the fulfillment of God's promises and preparations. Mary was invited to conceive him in whom the "whole fullness of deity" would dwell "bodily". The divine response to her question, "How can this be, since I know not man?", was given by the power of the Spirit: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you."
As is implied by this
statement, the visit Mary received from the Archangel Gabriel sets in motion a
series of events that fulfills God’s plan from the beginning. It is God’s final revelatory act of love,
given to his creation that they (we) might accept the inheritance he has
prepared for us.
Think of it! It all depends on a young girl, Mary,
accepting God’s offer (it is in fact an offer, not a pronouncement). And what was that incredible offer? Mary had to know that conceiving a child at
that time in her life without a husband could mean her death by stoning; the
punishment prescribed by Law for an adulteress.
Yet her response is so humble and simple, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according
to your word."
With that humble act of
faith, Mary establishes herself as the first of the saints. Her example of selfless love provides an
avenue of grace that fills her and assures her a preeminent place in the
heavenly kingdom.
On this solemn feast day,
dedicated to this event we thank God for his act of love in sending his only
Begotten Son into the world. We thank
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for choosing to become man and at the same
time become the sacrifice that takes away our sins. And we thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for
making her courageous decision and accepting the path offered to her.
Pax
[1]
The picture used is “The Annunciation” by Francesco Albani, c. 1600
[2]
ALTRE
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
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