March 25, Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Readings : Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10, & Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
Today is the solemnity of the announcement to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel that she would conceive the Son of God. This is found only in the gospel of Luke (1:28–38). The Archangel serves as the messenger of God. Gabriel appears in the Old Testament (Daniel 8:15-26 and 9:21-27) and the New Testament (Luke 1:11-20 and 1-26-38). As per his declaration to Zachariah, father of John the Baptist, he is standing before God always. When the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was betrothed to Joseph, she was confused and asked how this could be since she did not know the man.
The conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary is the new era of salvation. The grace conceives the child to be born of the Holy Spirit upon Mary, who finds favor with God. Eve, the first woman, was the mother of all sinful humanity. Now Mary becomes the mother of the new Adam, who will foster new humanity by his grace (Romans 5:12-21).
The fulfillment of God’s promises is for the child to be conceived in her womb. He will be "great" and "Son of the Highest" and "King" (Luke 1:32-33). His name shall be called "Jesus," which means "the Lord saves.” "He will rescue his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The promise of an everlasting kingdom to the house of David (Isaiah 9:6-7) came to fulfillment in the King to be born in Mary’s womb.
Mary knows well that she is hearing something beyond human capability. It will undoubtedly take a miracle that surpasses all that God has done previously. Her question, "How shall this be, since I do not know any man?" is not prompted by doubt or skepticism but by wonderment! She is a true hearer of the Word, and she immediately responds with faith and trust. Mary's prompt response of "yes" to the divine message is a model of faith for all believers.
We sometimes find ourselves being asked by God to do things that we think are impossible to achieve on our own. For example, the summons to forgive someone who has deeply wounded us, the summons to follow Him more radically, and so on. With the help of the Holy Spirit, what we imagine is impossible for us is possible for God.
Today, let us ask Mother Mary to impart to us her faith and courage so that we too can say "Yes" to God's purpose for our lives.
Today, what is one thing you want to say YES to God?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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