25 March, Tuesday, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Readings — Is. 7:10-14; 8:10; Ps. 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11; Heb. 10:4-10; Lk. 1:26-38.

Some Notes on the Annunciation of the Lord

1. On 19 March, the Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of Mary, in the Gospel of Matthew, the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Joseph in a dream. Today, in the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel announces the birth of Jesus to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Qur'an, the Annunciation is described in Surah Maryam, vv. 19:16-26. The Annunciation took place at Nazareth in the home of Mary, marked today by the Basilica of the Annunciation.

2. When the calendar system of Anno Domini was first introduced in AD 525, 25 March was assigned as the beginning of the new year, since the era of grace began with the Incarnation of the Lord at the time of the Annunciation, nine months before the birth of the Lord. This is why the Annunciation is not only a Marian Solemnity but first and foremost a Christological one.

3. 1st Reading, Is. 7:10-14; 8:10) — During the Syria-Ephraimite war of 735-732 BC, the combined forces of Syria and its ally, Ephraim (the southern kingdom of Israel), threatened to attack Jerusalem. The Lord asked King Ahaz of Judah for a sign but Ahaz did not want to tempt the Lord (vv. 7-12).

So the Lord himself gave a sign: "the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel" (v. 14). Judah and its Davific king should trust God's promises and not fear the armies of Israel and Syria. This prophecy underlies Mt. 1:23. Emmanuel means "God is with us." The Incarnation is the ultimate expression of God's willingness to "be with us."

4. Resp. Ps. 49:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11 — Trust in God, Not in Riches. Those who trust in their riches are deluded. God does not accept money for the redemption of one's soul. These fools will die and leave their riches with others (vv. 7-11).

5. 2nd Reading, Heb. 10:4-10 — "It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats can take away sins" (v. 4). For this reason, Jesus came and said, "Behold, I come to do your will, O God." He took away the Old Law of offering, and established a new offering. By his will, "we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all" (vv. 8- 10).

6. Gospel, Lk. 1:26-38 — The Annunciation. God sends his angel Gabriel "to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph of the house of David." The virgin's name is Mary. Gabriel greets her, "Hail, favored one. The Lord is with you" (vv. 26-28). But Mary is greatly troubled and ponders what sort of greeting this might be. Gabriel continues: "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 he will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord 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" (vv.29- 33).

7. Mary asks the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with any man?" The angel replies, "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" (vv. 34-35). Surely, unanswered questions fill Mary's heart. Who is the Holy Spirit? Is the Spirit God? How will I conceive a child by the Spirit? My child as son of David enthroned forever? Son of the Most High, Son of God? How can a human child be God? Questions of the great Mystery of the Incarnation.

8. The angel reassures Mary. "And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the 6th month for her who was called barren" (v. 37). "For nothing is impossible with God" (v. 38). Despite her questions, Mary says Yes, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departs from her ( v. 38).

9. The Annunciation celebrates the Incarnation. It initiates a new history of salvation, fulfilling all the prophecies in the Old Testament regarding "the one who is to come." The angel goes not to Jerusalem but to Galilee, a haven for pagans; to Nazareth, a place never cited in the Old Testament. Overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, Mary is the woman clothed with the Spirit, thanks to whom everything becomes possible. With her Yes, she is transformed into God's dwelling place, his temple, the tabernacle of Jesus, the Most High God. It was through her humble obedience to God and her confident entrustment to the Holy Spirit that God made a new history. Before the mystery of God's will in our own daily lives, may our response be, "Let it be done to me."

10. Prayer — O God, you willed that your Only Begotten Son should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Grant, we pray, that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man, may merit to become partakers even of his divine nature. This we ask through Christ, our Lord, Amen. (Collect for today's Holy Mass).

Prayers, best wishes, God bless!