THE WILL, THE YES & THE SON

The Solemnity of  Annunciation of the Lord

April 8, 2024 - Isaiah 7: 10-14, 8:10; Hebrews 10: 4-10; Luke 1: 26-38

The Solemnity of Annunciation mostly falls within the season of Lent and the liturgy would invite us to break the lenten journey and celebrate the feast, recognising its importance and significance. This time around, it was Holy Week and owing to the surpassing importance and specificity of the week, we could not celebrate the feast. However, the irreplaceable importance of the feast is brought to our attention, as the Church postpones it to the nearest of the dates available, that is today. 

The feast takes a very special meaning being observed in the Easter Season, as it is the definitive beginning of a series of events which reaches it climax with the Easter... the Christ-event which is the ultimate salvific act of the Creator, reclaiming the entire creation in Christ, the Supreme and the only mediator. We could rest on three key elements that are highlighted in the celebration today: the Will, the Yes and the Son.

The Will that is represented by the Angel Gabriel - the initiation of the Christ-event which happens by the Will of God. It was God's will that the entire universe has to be saved, has to be reconciled to God the Creator, and has to be brought to its fullness. There are so many things that we experience that block and obstruct the fullness of our life, and wholeness of our existence. But there is always hope and the hope rests in the Will of God - that all should arrive at their fullness. God's Will is that we arrive at that wholeness, that fullness, that sanctity, that holiness.

The Yes that is represented by Mary the handmaid - the cooperation of Mary with God's initiative can never be overlooked, it is a pitiful ignorance, if not arrogance, to deny the importance of the "yes" that Mary gave to the Lord. In fact, that yes - brought us peace, brought us salvation and brought  us the wholeness that came with Christ. Mary however, identifies herself as a handmaid, and that is what she remained all her life and that is what she wishes to remain even now! Never did she, nor does she, take the focus away from God and God's Son! The challenge to us is to say that "yes" in our lives too becoming in our own way instuments of God's will here and now. There is a greater challenge that Mary poses - to say that yes in humility and to remain forever servants of the Lord, not seeking the limelight. 

The Son who is represented in the moment of encounter of the Will and the Yes. This is the most powerful message that this feast gives us: the Son becomes alive where the Will of the Father and a yes to that Will meet each other. When God proposes and we dispose ourselves to that initiative, the Son comes alive, the Christ-event come alive, the Reign gets established. Is that not the splendid call that we are reminded of in this Solemnity?