THE WORD AND THE FEAST
March 25, 2021: The Solemnity of Annunciation of the Lord
Isaiah 7: 10-14, 8:10; Hebrews 10:
4-10; Luke 1: 26-36
Our God is not merely a God who
responds...Our God begins, God initiates, intervenes at the right time even
without an asking. That is why St. John proclaimed, we love God because God
first loved us (1 Jn 4:19). The feast of Annunciation is a splendid
manifestation of this nature of God, the nature of intervening at the appointed
time.
We see three people involved in the
event that is recalled today, who in unison give humanity a holistic and
life-giving message.
The Angel, who stands for Faith - a
concrete sign of God's relationship with us. Angels are God's spokespersons,
God's messengers and God's extensions which make present God to us. Our Faith
is that God continues to live with us, even amidst all the worldliness that we
are surrounded by. Angel Gabriel announcing the message to our Blessed Mother
was a sign of God’s continual participation in our life and existence, our
sufferings and concerns. The call us simple: that we become extensions of God’s
presence, announcers of God’s good news to those who suffer.
Mary, who stands for Hope - a concrete
sign of our relationship with God. Mary shines as a counter witness to the
hopeless humanity today. Indifference and Individualism marks the humanity of
today. The other matters nothing to me, I either use the other for my benefit
or just ignore the other because he or she matters nothing to me! It is against
this background that Mary's 'yes' resounds as a revolution that spells hope to
the world and to the entire humanity. That there can be commitments taken
for the sake of the other, not always for me, mine and my own good.
The Child, who stands for Love - a
concrete sign that God still loves the World. God has not given up on us and
God will never do! A love that is ready to give totally of Itself (Rom 8:32).
The Child that is promised is a sign of God's everlasting and unconditional
love that gives life and light to the otherwise darkness filled world today.
Annunciation invites us to first of
all recognise what God is doing for us in history. The further call is to say
our ‘yes’ to God’s will that we may become God’s messengers to the world. And
the most important of all, that we may become signs and bearers, manifestations
and expressions of ’od's concrete love for each other, especially those who are
in special and urgent need.
May our faith, hope and above all,
love make us announcers of good news to the whole world.