Luke 1:26-38

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10

Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

Hebrews 10:4-10

Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

“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 will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God 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.”

But Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply,

“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.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you invite me today to celebrate and contemplate the Incarnation of your Son. You asked Mary, your handmaid, to be the mother of your Son and she responded with a generous and prompt yes. I humbly ask today that I be strengthened with your grace to respond to your loving will in the same way.

Encountering the Word of God

1. We Needed a Redeemer: The Liturgy of the Word on the Solemnity of the Annunciation presents three themes for our consideration and meditation: first, our need for a redeemer (Letter to the Hebrews), second, God’s promise and response to this need (Book of Isaiah), and third, Mary's collaboration with God in this redemptive act (Gospel of Luke). The Letter to the Hebrews criticizes the inefficacy of the priesthood and the sacrifices of the Old Law. The immolation of animals cannot sanctify the people; the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin. Adam and Eve's sin lost mankind's original holiness and introduced sin and death into the world. God responds to this sin by promising a redeemer, born of a woman (Genesis 3:15). Jesus Christ is God’s response and Jesus enters the world through his incarnation, seeking only to do the will of the Father. Our sin is removed and we are made holy through Jesus’ obedient sacrifice and self-offering. It is his efficacious sacrifice that replaces the former ineffective sacrificial worship. Christ offered himself on the Cross as the one unique sacrifice for our sins. Through his suffering, Christ is made perfect in his humanity and can share this perfection with us, his brothers and sisters. In this way, Christ is made our high-priest and is the one who gives us access to God. It is through Christ, then, that we are redeemed, consecrated, and sanctified.

2. God’s Promise and Response to Our Need: The First Reading today tells us how this redemption will begin to take place: a virgin shall be with child and bear a son. Historically, the passage from Isaiah can be read as a promise that King Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, will reign. The context of Isaiah's prophetic sign is the choice that Ahaz must make between forging an alliance with Damascus and the northern kingdom of Israel against Assyria or trusting in the Lord's promise that he will save Judah from her enemies. Israel and Damascus were eventually defeated, showing how an alliance would have proven disastrous. What Isaiah promises, then, comes to pass: first, Judah is spared without the need for the alliance in 734-732 B.C.; second, Ahaz’s son, the good king Hezekiah, restores the temple worship and successfully defends the city of Jerusalem during his reign.

3. Mary’s Collaboration with God in the Act of Redemption: The two readings (from Hebrews and Isaiah) contrast ineffective actions (forging military alliances to defend Jerusalem and immolating animals to sanctify the people) with effective actions - trusting in the Lord and obeying his commands. Isaiah’s sign, however, goes beyond the promise of an immediate successor to Ahaz and ultimately points to the Incarnation and virgin birth of Jesus Christ. This is how Matthew will interpret the passage from Isaiah: “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (Matthew 1:23). And the virgin’s name was Mary. This is the mystery we contemplate today. God has prepared this moment from all eternity – the moment when his only-begotten and eternal Son would enter time and human history, not to condemn the world but to save it and redeem it. God lovingly preserved Mary from the stain of original sin and knew that her response to the Angel Gabriel would be one of complete self-offering: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.”

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am in awe of your mother and her generous “yes” to your divine will. She was the queen mother of the royal Messiah, yet considered herself a lowly handmaiden. Help me to have that same humility as I say “yes” to your will today.

Living the Word of God: We venerate Mary today because of this faith, because she believed God and trusted in his Word: “Blessed is she who believed.” We humbly ask her today to intercede with her Son, before the heavenly throne of God’s grace, so that we may imitate her faith, humility, and total self-offering.