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(25th March ) Homily for Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

READ: (Isa 7: 10-14; Heb 10: 4-10; Lk 1: 26-38)

REFLECT: Mary finds favour with God, humbles before God and becomes a dwelling of God…

Dear friends, today we celebrate the feast of Annunciation. The feast is celebrated nine months before Christmas. The Feast of the Annunciation celebrates God’s entry into the human world through Jesus, the Son of God. It is the announcement by angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary about the birth of Jesus, the messiah and saviour of the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. The feast marks the willingness and acceptance of Mother Mary to co-operate in the plan of God.

In the Catholic Church, we constantly remind ourselves of the importance of this historical initiative of our salvation in various devotional prayers. Few concrete examples that emphasize the event are joyful mysteries of the Rosary, the Angelus and the apostles or Nicene Creed that we profess. The annunciation of the Lord is essentially Christological and secondly Mariological signifying the role of Mary in the salvation history. So based on this historical initiative of God for humanity and the liturgy of the word for the day, I would like to share with you three points of reflection;

1.     Mother Mary finds favor with God:

The expression of God’s favor is the manifestation of his kindness and graciousness that God pours on us as a blessing. Such a privilege was given to Mother Mary by God because of Jesus’ entry into the world as one among us.  In the Gospel of the day, the salutation of angel Gabriel makes known to us the person of Mary, who is she and what her role is. The words “full of grace” and “the Lord is with you” speak of what sort of person Mary is and her identity. Mary is a person fully enveloped by God’s grace and a person fully assured of God’s presence. We all know the reason for God to make Mary filled with the fullness of grace and presence. It is precisely to bring forth his Son Jesus, the saviour and messiah into the world. His dynasty is of Davidic line but divine origin. He is son of God the most high, king and his kingship will have no end, he is holy and Son of God. So in order to prepare a dwelling for the son of God, the most high, the holy one in the womb of Mary, she needs God’s grace to bring forth the gracious one of God, therefore, Mary is full of grace and the presence of God to Mary is assured. 

Today in a similar way we are called to envelop ourselves with God’s grace and be assured of his presence, in order that his plans, purpose might be fulfilled in and through us. One of the ways that we can find favor with God is by his grace and presence. The plan or project of God need not be grand or gigantic, it could be small, but what’s important is to find favor with God and co-operate with his plan. Most of us are not in a position to find favor with God, because, we are not covered by God’s grace and haven’t been fully believe in the assurance of God’s presence. The reason for the lack of grace and presence of God in us is our sins and stains that makes us unclean and unworthy before God.

The first reading from Prophet Isaiah is pointed out by the Biblical scholars that this bible passage is the fulfillment of the prophecy foretold long ago in and through Mary a virgin who conceives bears and names Jesus. The fulfillment passage from prophet Isaiah points out the eternal accompaniment and presence of God by the word ‘Immanuel’ ‘God with us’ referring to Jesus. We have in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus will be called Immanuel, which means God-with-us (Matt 1:23) Yes, Jesus is our Immanuel. We need to co-operate and be receptive to God’s invitation to execute the plan he has for us and for the whole world. The feast of the annunciation opens a platform for all of us to manifest our lives to receive God’s grace and be assured of his presence. If “Mary full of grace” is to hold Jesus in her womb, then “The Lord is with you” is the assurance that God gives to Mary to face or overcome all struggles, humiliations of life, while she would journey with Jesus. So like Mary we shall find favor with God to fulfill the plans that God has for us the human race.

2.     Mother Mary’s Humility before God;

A life of humility what exalts us before God and the other. Mother Mary is one such person, who exhibited in her vocation and mission the virtue of humility. Her very words, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word” was the response of Mary to God who came in search of her; it shows her total availability for God’s plan and her humility in accepting God’s plan for her. The words of Mary and her response manifests that she is ready to do anything for God. Just as a servant who entrusts oneself to the master, so also Mary entrusts her entire life into the hands of God her master, the creator of heaven and earth.

The servant – master relationship that we see in the bible passage of the day is not the same as we see or experience today in our scenario. In today’s understanding, in a Master-servant relationship, the servant cannot utter more words nor react to anything; at times the work is forced upon and burdensome; we see lots of injustice, favoritism, misuse etc. perhaps God had every power and could have used some other ways and means to consent Mary to be the mother of his only son; God could have created a special mother on earth to bring forth his son; He could have threatened her too but the way that God uses is love. God wanted a willing, free and a happy consent. The response of Mary for God’s love is a willing, free and happy consent.

Yes, God does not force upon us anything. He gives to us multiple choices and chances to cling on to him and to abide in him. It is we who force ourselves to go away from God’s love, ignoring or avoiding the choices and chances that God offers to us to live happily. Mother Mary had every choice and freedom to say ‘no’ to God, but she chooses to say ‘yes’ to God, because she understood and realized the Lord who created, the Lord who brought her into this world knows better than her, has better plans for her, therefore, Mary humbles, surrenders herself to God’s plan, the offer of God’s gift in participating the salvation event.

Such an act of surrender we find in the second reading from Hebrews that clearly mentions how we have been sanctified by the self-offering of Jesus. Yes, the self-offering of Jesus is a profound gesture of humility to unite us to God. Similarly, the words of Mary “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word,” is an expression of her self-offering to God in humility. It reveals Mother Mary’s readiness, faith, humility and a total surrender to God.

Pope Francis very beautifully tells us that Humility is the “golden rule”. Advancing, for Christians, means lowering themselves. It is precisely on the humble path, chosen by God that love and charity proceed.” Yes, today we are called to realize the humility of God to come down from heaven and Mary’s humility to be co-operative with God’s plan. If God could humble to pitch his tent in the womb of a human mother, what about us? Should we not humble before him and welcome him with arms stretched and hearts open. So let us make the path of humility a step way for the lord to come and dwell in us.

Today, many of us are caught up with ego, pride and arrogance that deviate us from God and from one another in relationships. Many of us even fear to be humble because others might treat us as slaves or belittle us before others as coward or timid. But humility can be for sure a binding force in the web of relationships with God, others and oneself. Humility has such a power that even the proud-hearted would bend down, when one realizes that pride goes before a fall.  Let us pray that we inculcate in us the virtue of humility like Mother Mary to experience the healing touch of God in our lives.

3.     Mother Mary becomes a dwelling of God:

God dwells in mind, heart, body and soul free from sin. In all certainty, it was not the privilege of Mother Mary that she was found favor with God but rather to bring forth Jesus, the son of God into the world. In fact, it is privilege to Mother Mary to have God approached her.  It is God who takes initiative to encounter Mary through the angel Gabriel. It is for Jesus the son of God, to whom Mary would give her womb as a shelter; it is by the power and overshadowing of the Holy Spirit that Mary would conceive Jesus. So for such a dwelling God’s grace is necessary and thus Mary becomes the dwelling of God by God’s grace.

We all know that the role of trinity in the events or episodes of the bible in many places. We see the presence of the Trinitarian God in the annunciation story too. The bible passage speaks of it clearly. God’s initiation, shelter of Jesus in Mary’s womb and overshadowing of the Holy Spirit are a proof of it in the episode of annunciation.  Just as at the start of creation in the book of Genesis, we have the presence of the trinity: God as the creator, Son as the eternal word and the Holy Spirit the one hovering over the water to create something beautiful and spectacular, all kinds of living creatures. So also now, when Jesus is to be born into the world the Trinitarian God makes their presence and assure of their presence with the human race that begins anew in Jesus to reestablish and renew what was lost in Adam and Eve.

Just as in the Old Testament where God lived or encountered in the tent or tabernacle made by human hands (Exo 25: 8 and 21-22) was covered with a pillar of cloud (Exo 40: 33-34), so also Mary is overshadowed by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to pitch a tent for Jesus in womb of Mary. Her womb becomes a tent or tabernacle for Jesus to dwell. So Mary’s womb is the holy vessel that holds Jesus and brings forth manifold blessings of God to humanity.

Today we are called to be such a living tabernacle of God for others to experience God in us and God to make dwelling in us to change us, and create us anew. For such a dwelling of God in us we need to be free from stain and sin that makes us unworthy. Like Mother Mary, when we are open to receive the grace of God and the offer of salvation that God initiates, we can be a dwelling for God. So on this feast day, we shall seek for such blessings for such an offer.

We are given the opportunity to participate in the Holy Eucharist every day, for God to dwell in us. How many of us participate? Even if participated how worthy are we to receive Christ to dwell in us? Is the participation in the Eucharist and the reception of Holy Communion make us exemplary Christians manifesting Christ’s attitudes and qualities? So let us make use of the opportunities that the Lord has given in and through the Church, the liturgy, the sacraments and the pious practices to make a dwelling for God like Mary.

RESPOND:

Can we find favor with God by the life that we live and lead?

Can we humble ourselves to experience God’s grace and power over us?

Can we become a dwelling for God in heart for self-transformation and for the change to effect in others?

Let us find favor with God to be privileged in the sight of God, makes a total surrender by the virtue of humility and make our hearts a dwelling place for God to dwell. Amen.

Happy Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord! God bless us all…

Live Jesus !

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968