December 20, Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Daily Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; Luke 1:26-38
In the context of blatant lack of faith in the God of Israel displayed by Ahaz, the King of Judah with its capital in Jerusalem, the Lord God sends prophet Isaiah to speak to faithless king. He is directed by God to ask for a sign. The king refuses to oblige God. Then God Himself gives him a sign, “the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel” (Isa 7:14).
Writing under the inspiration of God, St. Matthew the Evangelist is able to identify the young woman of Isaiahan prophecy with Mary, a virgin of Nazareth, engaged to a man whose name was Joseph. The prophecy is being fulfilled in her on the day Archangel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus. Mary is considered highly favoured because the Lord is with her. She found favour with God. It is because of the Holy Spirit that she conceived Jesus, the Son of God. And yet, we know that God needed Mary’s consent.
When Mary heard the Archangel saying that nothing is impossible with God, she surrendered herself to the will of God and said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word”. Human consent is necessary for the Divine to act. “He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent” says St. Augustine. Let’s learn to pray like Jesus: Let thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!
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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