According to Divine Will

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, challenge us to adopt the faith of Mary as we seek to surrender to the Will of God in the midst of our tendency to be distracted by the traditions and ways of humans.

St Mary's Basilica 

In the Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Ahaz is offered a sign to trust in God.

* [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 offers an enthusiastic proclamation of the salvation just experienced.

* [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 Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews presents sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings.

* [10:5–7] A passage from Ps 40:7–9 is placed in the mouth of the Son at his incarnation. As usual, the author follows the Septuagint text. There is a notable difference in Heb 10:5 (Ps 40:6), where the Masoretic text reads “ears you have dug for me” (“ears open to obedience you gave me,” NAB), but most Septuagint manuscripts have “a body you prepared for me,” a reading obviously more suited to the interpretation of Hebrews.

* [10:8] Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings: these four terms taken from the preceding passage of Ps 40 (with the first two changed to plural forms) are probably intended as equivalents to the four principal types of Old Testament sacrifices: peace offerings (Lv 3, here called sacrifices); cereal offerings (Lv 2, here called offerings); holocausts (Lv 1); and sin offerings (Lv 4–5). This last category includes the guilt offerings of Lv 5:14–19. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Mary surrenders to the announcement of her role in the Birth of Jesus.

* [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.)

Rev. Larry Gillick, SJ, comments that today we watch the acceptance in faith of the invitation to do God’s will by a questioning young woman of Nazareth. She has good questions and excuses, as do all those who have been called to surrender to God’s ways.

Here, as the end of Lent nears, we are confronted with God’s invitations to us to do what we believe is doing the “will of God.”  We do not have angels announcing that will to us, but we do believe we have God’s grace to sense, and respond to, the invitations to give Grace a space and a face.  To do God’s will is to make human choices which reflect our belief that what we are doing is God’s Will.  As with Mary, we trust that what we are doing is what God wills. Trusting then is God’s will, trusting that God will be freed. (Gillick, n.d.)

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.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the reading from Isaiah is the story of Ahaz being urged to ask for a sign from the Lord as Jerusalem is besieged and needs assistance. Isaiah asserts God would send him a sign to trust in the Lord rather than the emperor of Assyria. In the Hebrew text, a maiden will birth Immanuel whose name means “God is with us“ Isaiah sees this as a continuous repetition of the offer of God to rescue. In the Letter to the Hebrews the sacrifices of bulls and goats will be no more but the Son would reestablish the union with God. Gabriel visits Mary proclaiming “Hail, Full of grace” in perfect tense in Greek indicating Mary has always been full of grace as celebrated in the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. Mary would conceive and bear “Yeshua” the Son of God, a hero of Davidic lineage. Joseph and Mary were both descendants of David. The angel explains this to Mary and unlike Zechariah, who had heard his prayer had been answered, Mary as the New Ark would be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus is the actual Son of God and not being proclaimed with an honorific title. Friar Jude concludes that in fact Mary, the handmaid of the Lord, has Jesus become present through an act of surrender, a free will act, presenting her to be totally available to God’s plan.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:26-38 invites us to imagine the relief as Mary tells the angel, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). God, in his mysterious providence, invited her to participate in his awesome plan of salvation. He could have accomplished his plan without her, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he desired the free and willing assent of this blessed woman who was full of grace.

We, too, are invited to say yes to God throughout our lives so that we can build a habit of cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Each of us is vital to God’s plan taking on flesh in our world. Every time we say, “May it be done to me” as Mary did, we become blessed participants in God’s plan of salvation. When we are criticized and want to respond in kind but we say yes to the Spirit’s invitation to hold our tongue, heaven rejoices. When we see someone who is hurting and feel the call to stop what we’re doing and listen to their story, we bring Jesus to them. When we respond to the Spirit and welcome a needy child into our home, our choice changes the world around us. Jesus is made visible with our every yes to God!

“Blessed Mother, Mary, help me to bring Christ into the world around me!” (Meditation on Luke 1:26-38, n.d.)

Brian McLaren uses a psalm of Exile, Psalm 137, as an example of the importance of how we read the Bible—as the literal word of God or as an expression of God’s people and their experience of God—makes a significant difference in who we think God is.

We dare to listen deeply, to understand and empathize, to put ourselves in the shoes of those who suffer and feel their fury and despair.  

And we don’t stop there either: then we see how oppression and revenge, if we let them take over, create vicious cycles that grow uglier and more catastrophic. We imagine how in our future, we could repeat the worst mistakes of our past.

Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites

the day of Jerusalem’s fall,

how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down!

Down to its foundations!”

O daughter Babylon, you devastator!

Happy shall they be who pay you back

what you have done to us!

Happy shall they be who take your little ones

and dash them against the rock!(Psalm 137:7–9)

Then we are ready to take our stand: If we want to break out of the vicious, violent cycles of our history, we must develop a new way of reading the Bible, a new way of seeing, a new way of being.

That’s why, in a sense, Psalm 137 is like an eye exam: What we see there tells us how well we see. (McLaren, n.d.)

 

We seek the wisdom of the Spirit to guide our understanding of surrender to the Will of God as that of Mary who prayed “Let it be done to me, according to Your Will”

References

Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-25-2026 

Hebrews, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/10? 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/7?10 

Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1? 

McLaren, B. (n.d.). Psalms of Exile: An Eye Exam. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/psalms-of-exile-an-eye-exam/ 

Meditation on Luke 1:26-38. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/25/1525811/ 

Psalms, PSALM 40 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/40? 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Have Found Favor with God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 25, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Signs of Presence

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be aware of events that present an opportunity to be a sign of our faith, hope, and love for others.

A Retreat to Presence

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah proclaims the Sign of Emmanuel.

* [7:11] Deep…sky: an extraordinary or miraculous sign that would prove God’s firm will to save the royal house of David from its oppressors.

* [7:12] Tempt the LORD: Ahaz prefers to depend upon the might of Assyria rather than the might of God.

* [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 24 accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God followed by the people, into the Temple.

* [Psalm 24] The Psalm apparently accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God (invisibly enthroned upon the ark), followed by the people, into the Temple. The Temple commemorated the creation of the world (Ps 24:1–2). The people had to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary (Ps 24:3–6; cf. Ps 15). A choir identifies the approaching God and invites the very Temple gates to bow down in obeisance (Ps 24:7–10). (Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke proclaims the Announcement of the Birth of Jesus.

* [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). (Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Edward Morse comments that Mary has much to teach us, and we have much to learn from her example during this Advent journey.

In this life of faith, angels appear rarely. More often, God chooses signs of a quieter variety, which often leave us with something to ponder, to live with, and to work out in the course of time. Signs are often wrapped in love, beginning with our mothers and fathers and then followed by many others. These signs are presented all around us if we are open to them, quietly witnessing to us that God is there and He has not forgotten us.

St. John of the Cross, who lived and worked with St. Teresa of Avila in the 1500s, once said: “Where there is no love, pour love in, and you will draw love out.” In so doing, we may also become a sign to encourage others as we quietly do the Lord’s work while we wait for him to come again. Thanks be to God. (Morse, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus is Son of God and Son of Mary,” by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.

"We should carefully note the order of the words here, and the more firmly they are engrafted in our heart, the more evident it will be that the sum total of our redemption consists in them. For they proclaim with perfect clarity that the Lord Jesus, that is, our Savior, was both the true Son of God the Father and the true Son of a mother who was a human being. 'Behold,' he says, 'you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son' - acknowledge that this true human being assumed the true substance of flesh from the flesh of the Virgin! 'He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High' - confess too that this same Son is true God of true God, co-eternal Son forever of the eternal Father!" (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 1.3.22) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:26-38 comments that we all would like to have the same radical trust in God’s promises that Mary showed. But let’s face it: in our weakness we can think or act as if some situations are impossible for God to resolve. Our limited understanding—or our fears and anxieties—get in the way of this radical trust. We know that God’s promises are trustworthy. We know that he never changes his mind or deceives us. We even agree with Jesus when he said, “For God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Still, we falter.

Today, try to imitate Mary’s radical trust. Even though you don’t understand it all, reaffirm your confidence in the Lord and his plan for your life. And fix your eyes on Jesus, the promised One who can do what is impossible—in your life and in the world.

“Yes, Lord, I believe that you can do the impossible and fulfill your promises to me. How could you do otherwise?” (Meditation on Luke 1:26-38, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Isaiah is speaking to Ahaz and tells him to ask a sign from the Lord to underline the possibility of being a vassal state of Assyria He does not want a sign and God will give a sign Emanuel, “God is with us” as the “alma” or maiden will give birth. When the sign is translated into Greek they used “parthenos” a word that only means virgin that Matthew quotes in the Annunciation to Mary in Nazareth.  In Luke, the Holy Family starts in Nazareth. In Matthew it seems they were living in Bethlehem. The angel Gabriel addresses Mary in the perfect tense so that the proclamation indicates she has always been blessed thus revealing her true Immaculate Conception.  Jesus, "Yahweh saves”, is proclaimed as the Son of God. Hebrew understanding at the time was a hero of God. Mary asks " How this could be?” Zechariah never really believed in the power of prayer but for Mary this was a valid question. God is over the Ark  of the Covenant, she becomes the new Ark of the Covenant. She responds as the Handmaid of the Lord, “Let it be done as you have said”. Friar Jude notes that her Immaculate Conception is shown in her ability to answer Gabriel in that way.

Fr. Mike Schmitz reflects on the powerful reality that the sacrament of Baptism makes us partakers of God's Divine nature, fundamentally changing us into beloved sons and daughters of God the Father. He also highlights how the second coming of Christ will come like a thief in the night, how Christians grieve with hope, and how we have to test the prophecies we hear from seers. Today's readings are 2 Peter 1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4-5, and Proverbs 30:17-19.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author and activist Lydia Wylie-Kellermann writes about our responsibility to share the gifts of awe and wonder with the next generation.

We need it. Awe and wonder hold our hearts and bodies in the present moment around us, keeping us from spiraling into whatever is yet to come. We can find it anywhere … in the streets, the woods, our neighborhoods, the shore of the ocean, or in a culvert under the road. It happens in the slowing down. It happens when we let ourselves loose. When we let go of control and are free to stumble upon joy.

Let us show these children in our lives that, amid all the horror, there is a life worth living that can take your breath away and leave you dancing.

Beloved friends,
go out and find a secret portal.
Walk the shoreline
and keep your eye out for magic.
Pull out that old telescope.
Tell wild stories.
Go outside and dance in the rain.
Do ridiculous things.
Be “that” adult who gets the eyeroll
and the side smile.
Laugh often. Slow down.
Feed the imagination.
Clear the space to be washed over
by this wild and wonderful world. (Rohr, 2025)

We seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit when we are prompted to surrender and consent “Let it be done to me according to Your Will”

References

Isaiah, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 20, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/7?10 

Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 20, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?26 

Meditation on Luke 1:26-38. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved December 20, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/12/20/1448324/ 

Morse, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved December 20, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-december-20-2025 

Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 20, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/24?1 

Rohr, R. (2025, December 19). Rightful and Radical Amazement — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 20, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/rightful-and-radical-amazement/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Hail, O Favored One, the Lord Is with You! Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 20, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/