The Virgin Will Give Birth to a Son (HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD

Homily for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10. Psalm 40:77-8a,8b-9,10,11. Hebrews 10:4-10. Luke 1:26-38.

Theme: The Virgin Will Give Birth to a Son.

On today's feast, the Catholic Church celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation and, at the same time, the vocation of our Lady. It was her faithful response to the angel's message, her fiat, that began the work of Redemption.

The setting of this feast day, March 25th, is exactly nine months before Christmas. In addition, there is an ancient tradition that the creation of the world and the commencement and conclusion of the Redemption all happened to coincide at the vernal equinox.

On this day, the Catholic Church commemorates the coming of the Archangel Gabriel to announce to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she was to be the Mother of the promised Redeemer. On this same day, God the Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, by the power of the Holy Spirit, assumed a human body and a human soul and became the Son of Mary.

This date is, therefore, a double feast, the Annunciation of the maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Incarnation of the Son of God. The angel of the Incarnation was sent to that maiden of Nazareth who, deeming herself least worthy among the daughters of Zion, had been chosen by her Creator to be the most blessed among women.

The God of Israel is always ready to work wonders, on condition that we place all our trust in him. The first reading presents us with the young Ahaz, king of Israel, who must make an embarrassing choice to act according to human logic in politics and diplomacy or to trust the promises of God. To prove to Ahaz that God is ever faithful, a sign will be given, and this sign is that "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his his name Immanuel" (Isa.7:14).

The Gospel presents us with God's mighty deeds: what He did for Mary, the virgin, who, unlike Ahaz, put her full trust in God and put her "nothingness" at God's disposal. Mary was greatly astonished with the greetings of the angel, who said to her, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28). As she was deeply troubled with these greetings, the angel explained to her what was about to take place, and she asked a simple question, "How will this be, since I know not man?" (Luke 2:34). With the angel's response that this will happen by the power of the Holy Spirit and how her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, in her old age, is with child (cf.Luke 2:35-37). She simply accepted the angel's message in good fate, saying, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 2:38).

With her acceptance, the Incarnation was accomplished. A virgin of the house of David had become the Mother of God. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity had become man, man like us in all things except sin. All these took place because Mary consented to God's will.

We are all called to experience the powerful love of God if only we do God's will. The second reading tells us how: not through the offering of holocausts and sacrifices, but by "doing the will of God" (cf.Heb.10:5-7) as Jesus and Mary did.

From today's celebration and today's Gospel, we discover that next after his heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit, there was no one whom Jesus venerated and loved as He venerated and loved the Blessed Virgin Mary. Anyone who has no love and veneration for the Mother of Christ is unlike Jesus, who first loved and venerated his own mother.

In addition, love and veneration are due to Mary for her own sake because she is the mother of mankind because, above all other mere creatures she has been sanctified by the Holy Spirit; and because in being the Mother of the Incarnate Son, she is the mother of us all.

Today's Gospel reminds us that God's plan of salvation of the human race is his own initiative. Often, we attribute too much of our achievements to our own doing. Our education, wealth, or technological skills can lead us to have a false sense of security in our ability to shape our world. God sends his Son into the world at a precise time and in a precise place. He prepares Mary beforehand with everything she will need to carry out her mission as Mother of the Redeemer. In fulfilling the divine mission, Mary is the supreme example of obedience to God's will. Let us emulate this example to always be obedient to God's will.

May God grant us the grace to obey his will always in emulating the Blessed Virgin Mary through Christ our Lord. Amen.