God Begins - God enters our lives!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

March 25, 2023: The Solemnity of Annunciation
Isaiah 7: 10-14, 8:10; Hebrews 10: 4-10; Luke 1: 26-36

I remember as a boy, having just entered the seminary, I was taken up by the subtitle in the prayer of the Angelus: God Begins -  the Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary! It is a stark reminder of the fact that our God is not merely a God who responds... but God begins, God reveals, 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. In this solemnity and from the Word we listen to today, we see three people involved here, who are, each in their own inimitable manner, signs of a holistic life giving message to humanity. 

First, the Angel: Angel Gabriel stands for Faith - an Angel is a concrete sign of God's relationship with us. Angels are God's spokespersons, God's messengers and God's extensions who make present God to us in concrete ways possible. Our Faith is that God continues to live with us, even amidst all the worldliness that we are surrounded by. And the Angel Gabriel today, in bringing the message to Mary, brings us too the message of the nearness of God, the all loving presence of God. 

Secondly, Mary the young virgin: Mary stands for Hope - She shines as a concrete sign of our relationship with God. Mary stands out as a great witness of God's hope, to the hopeless humanity of all ages. Indifference and Individualism marks the humanity of today and Mary's 'yes' is a revolution that spells hope to the world and to the entire humanity. If she can, in her yes, give herself totally for the redemption of the world, can we not in our own way, offer our lives for our brothers and sisters? That is the mission of hope. 

Thirdly, the Child that is promised: Jesus who is conceived stands for Love - He has been the most 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.