The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, challenge us to accept the invitations from the Spirit on our journey to be servants of the Lord.
In the reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah he gives Ahaz the Sign of Immanuel.
* [7:14] Isaiah’s sign seeks to reassure Ahaz that he need not fear the invading armies of Syria and Israel in the light of God’s promise to David (2 Sm 7:12–16). The oracle follows a traditional announcement formula by which the birth and sometimes naming of a child is promised to particular individuals (Gn 16:11; Jgs 13:3). The young woman: Hebrew ‘almah designates a young woman of marriageable age without specific reference to virginity. The Septuagint translated the Hebrew term as parthenos, which normally does mean virgin, and this translation underlies Mt 1:23. Emmanuel: the name means “with us is God.” Since for the Christian the incarnation is the ultimate expression of God’s willingness to “be with us,” it is understandable that this text was interpreted to refer to the birth of Christ. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 40 is a thanksgiving for Deliverance and Prayer for Help.
* [Psalm 40] A thanksgiving (Ps 40:2–13) has been combined with a lament (Ps 40:14–17) that appears also in Ps 70. The psalmist describes the rescue in spatial terms—being raised up from the swampy underworld to firm earth where one can praise God (Ps 40:2–4). All who trust God will experience like protection (Ps 40:5–6)! The Psalm stipulates the precise mode of thanksgiving: not animal sacrifice but open and enthusiastic proclamation of the salvation just experienced (Ps 40:7–11). A prayer for protection concludes (Ps 40:12–17). (Psalms, PSALM 40 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Letter to the Hebrews declares one Sacrifice instead of many.
* [10:1–10] Christian faith now realizes that the Old Testament sacrifices did not effect the spiritual benefits to come but only prefigured them (Heb 10:1). For if the sacrifices had actually effected the forgiveness of sin, there would have been no reason for their constant repetition (Heb 10:2). They were rather a continual reminder of the people’s sins (Heb 10:3). It is not reasonable to suppose that human sins could be removed by the blood of animal sacrifices (Heb 10:4). Christ, therefore, is here shown to understand his mission in terms of Ps 40:5–7, cited according to the Septuagint (Heb 10:5–7). Jesus acknowledged that the Old Testament sacrifices did not remit the sins of the people and so, perceiving the will of God, offered his own body for this purpose (Heb 10:8–10). (Hebrews, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, the Birth of Jesus is foretold.
* [1:26–38] The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both the angel Gabriel appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Lk 1:11–12, 26–29) and then told by the angel not to fear (Lk 1:13, 30). After the announcement is made (Lk 1:14–17, 31–33) the parent objects (Lk 1:18, 34) and a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Lk 1:20, 36). The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Lk 1:32–33) and Son of God (Lk 1:32, 35).
* [1:32] Son of the Most High: cf. Lk 1:76 where John is described as “prophet of the Most High.” “Most High” is a title for God commonly used by Luke (Lk 1:35, 76; 6:35; 8:28; Acts 7:48; 16:17).
* [1:34] Mary’s questioning response is a denial of sexual relations and is used by Luke to lead to the angel’s declaration about the Spirit’s role in the conception of this child (Lk 1:35). According to Luke, the virginal conception of Jesus takes place through the holy Spirit, the power of God, and therefore Jesus has a unique relationship to Yahweh: he is Son of God.
* [1:36–37] The sign given to Mary in confirmation of the angel’s announcement to her is the pregnancy of her aged relative Elizabeth. If a woman past the childbearing age could become pregnant, why, the angel implies, should there be doubt about Mary’s pregnancy, for nothing will be impossible for God. (Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Kent Beausoleil, S.J. comments that no matter how bad life is, God graces us with so many things, things for which we can be grateful. The greatest sign of all God has given was the gift of God’s self in human form, a son, a son whose divine love for us, we just and continue to celebrate, as forever resurrected. Now that is a sign one can believe in.
No amount of sacrifices and sin offerings are going to make God offer a sign of divine love. That love has been, is, and forever will be given. And God’s love, well God’s love IS the sign. God’s will (essence) is love and that love is freely given to all of us, God’s special and unique children. God in Jesus and the Holy Spirit of their love that remains is the only sign we need. As Mary believed, and said ‘Yes’ to God’s love for her so should we always and forever. Divine love actually is all around us. (Beausoleil, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “Do you wish to be great?,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Just imagine the incredible kindness and mercy! He was the only Son, but He did not want to remain alone. So that humans might be born of God God was born of humans. Begotten of God is He through Whom we were created - Born of a woman is He through Whom we are to be re-created. The Word first wished to be born of humans, so that you might be assured of being born of God" (excerpt from Sermon on John 2, 13) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 comments that sometimes we see God’s promises fulfilled in surprising and unexpected ways. For example, a job relocation leads us to a newfound ministry, fulfilling God’s promise that we will bear fruit for his kingdom. Or an unexpected diagnosis leads us to sense God’s presence in a powerful way and experience his promise to be with us always. Or we might receive the grace that God has promised so that we can love and care for someone we once found difficult to love.
Just as he promised salvation to Israel eight centuries before Christ, so has God given us promises we can rely on. So be confident that God will do what he says—even if the way he does it is surprising! May we all have the eyes to see the ways in which his promises have been—and will be—fulfilled in our lives.
“Lord, as I await the fulfillment of all your promises, I will continue to pray with Mary, ‘May it be done to me according to your word’ (Luke 1:38).” (Meditation on Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that Ahaz is inspecting the water works as Jerusalem is under siege and he is anticipating troops from Egypt and rejects the initiative of Isaiah to seek a sign from God. The Hebrew for maiden in the response from Isaiah becomes the word for virgin in the Greek translation that Matthew uses in the Gospel. Friar Jude reminds us that the proclamation that Mary is “full of grace” in the Gospel of Luke is in the perfect tense in Greek indicating that it occurred in the past and is still true today. We ponder that Jesus is made Incarnate through the surrender of the “Handmaid of the Lord.”
James Finley continues to reflect on how, once we notice the “fire within,” we can commit to the life-changing practice of attending to it. He comments that we begin to wonder, “How can I learn not to get so caught up in the complexities of the day-to-day that I keep losing my sense of connectedness with this depth, this fire, which alone is ultimately real?” Thomas Merton says it beats in our very blood whether we want it to or not.
When I was in the monastery, the whole monastic life was carefully designed to protect us from distractions and enable us to experience what I’m talking about. But the world we live in isn’t like that, so we have to create a contemplative culture in our heart. We must vow to ourselves: I will not play the cynic. I will not break faith with my awakened heart. I know that in my most childlike hour, the cutting edge of the pain, the sweetness of the glance, the smell of the flower, I was graced by what transcends and permeates every moment of my life.
Therefore, we want to set aside a quiet time of availability to this. We have to stay with it. We have to be patient and be calm. We have to be receptively open to this way of being. And at the end of each rendezvous with the deeper place, we ask for the grace not to break the thread of that sensitivity as we go through the rest of our day. Although the thread breaks many times from our end, it never breaks from God’s end…. (Finley, n.d.)
We assess the reluctance we have to be open to surrender to the prompting of the Spirit to go the Way of Jesus as we celebrate the openness of Mary to the Will of God.
References
Beausoleil, K. (2024, April 8). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/040824.html
Finley, J. (n.d.). Choosing a Contemplative Path. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/choosing-a-contemplative-path/
Hebrews, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/10?4
Isaiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/7?10
Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?26
Meditation on Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/08/932816/
Psalms, PSALM 40 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/40?7
Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Have Found Favor with God. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr8a
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