The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!" Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us!"

R (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, "Behold I come." R Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. "In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!" R Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know. R Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Your justice I kept not hid within my heart; your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of; I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth in the vast assembly. R Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Brothers and sisters: It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said:

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.'"

First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law. Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second. By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

For: Thursday, March 25, 2004

Solemnity: The Annunciation of the Lord

From: Hebrews 10:4-10

The Sacrifices of the Old Covenant Could
Not Take Away Sins (Continuation)

[4] For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take
away sins.

Christ's Offering of Himself Has Infinite Value

[5] Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, "Sacrifices
and offerings Thou hast not desired, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me;
[6] in burnt offerings and sin offerings Thou hast taken no pleasure.
[7] Then I said, `Lo, I have come to do Thy will, O God,' as it is
written of Me in the roll of the book." [8] When He said above, "Thou
hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and
burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the
law), [9] then He added, "Lo, I have come to do Thy will." He
abolishes the first in order to establish the second. [10] And by that
will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all.

Commentary:

2-4. These verses repeat what is said in verse 1 and in 9:12-13. "Tell
me, then, what is the point of having more victims and more sacrifices
when a single victim would suffice for atonement for sins [...].
Multiple sacrifices in effect show that the Jews needed to atone for
their sins because they had failed to find forgiveness: it points to
the inefficacy of the victims offered, rather than to their power"
(Chrysostom, "Hom. on Heb.", 17). The ultimate reason for this
inefficacy is explained by a striking statement: "It is impossible that
the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins" (verse 4). There
is here an echo of those proclamations of the prophets which reminded
the people that true purification comes not from external actions but
from conversion of heart (cf. Jeremiah 2:22; 4:14; 11:15; Micah 6:7-8;
Psalm 51:18-19; etc.).

And yet, is it not the case that the priests of the New Testament renew
Jesus' sacrifice in the Mass everyday? St. John Chrysostom answers:
"Yes, that is true, but not because we regard the original sacrifice,
Christ's sacrifice, as ineffective or impotent. We priests repeat it
to commemorate His death. We have but one victim, Christ--not many
victims [...]. There is but one and the same sacrifice [...], one
Christ whole and entire, here as elsewhere, the same everywhere--the
same Christ on all the altars. Just as Jesus Christ, although offered
in different places, has only one body, so everywhere there is but one
sacrifice [...]. What we do is a commemoration of Christ's offering,
for at the Supper He said, `Do this in memory of Me.' Therefore, we do
not offer, as the high priest of the Law did, a new, additional victim:
it is not one sacrifice more, but always the same one" ("Hom. on Heb.",
17).

The Mass "is the sacrifice of Christ, offered to the Father with the
cooperation of the Holy Spirit--an offering of infinite value, which
perpetuates the work of the Redemption in us and surpasses the
sacrifices of the Old Law. The holy Mass brings us face to face with
one of the central mysteries of our faith, because it is the gift of
the Blessed Trinity to the Church. It is because of this that we can
consider the Mass as the center and the source of a Christian's
spiritual life. It is the final end of all the Sacraments" ([St] J. Escriva,
"Christ Is Passing By", 86-87).

5-10. This passage carries a quotation from Psalm 40:7-8, but one taken
from the Greek translation, the Septuagint, not from the Hebrew. Where
the Hebrew says, "Thou hast opened My ears", the Greek reads, "a body
Thou hast prepared for Me". The difference is not substantial, because
the Hebrew expression points to the docility and obedience of the
speaker, who is the Messiah Himself. The Greek translation gives the
sentence a more general meaning: God has not only opened the ears of
the Messiah; He has given Him life as a man (cf. Philippians 2:7). The
words of this Psalm "allow us as it were to sound the unfathomable
depths of this self-abasement of the Word, His humiliation of Himself
for love of men even to death on the Cross [...]. Why this obedience,
this self-abasement, this suffering? The Creed gives us the answer:
'for us men and for our salvation' Jesus came down from Heaven so as to
give man full entitlement to ascend (to Heaven) and by becoming a son
in the Son to regain the dignity he lost through sin [...]. Let us
welcome Him. Let us say to Him, `Here I am; I have come to do Your
will'" ([Pope] John Paul II, "General Audience", 25 March 1981).

The author of the letter, elaborating on the text of the psalm, asserts
that the Messiah's sacrifice is greater than the sacrifices of the Old
Law, unbloody as well as bloody, sin-offerings as well as burnt
offerings as they were called in the liturgy (cf. Leviticus 5;6;
7:27). The sacrifice of Christ, who has "come into the world", has
replaced both kinds of ancient sacrifice. It consisted in perfectly
doing the will of His Father (cf. John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; 14:31), even
though He was required to give His life to the point of dying on
Calvary (Matthew 26:42; John 10:18; Hebrews 5:7-9). Christ "came into
the world" to offer Himself up to suffering and death for the
redemption of the world. "He knew that all the sacrifices of goats and
bulls offered to God in ancient times were incapable of making
satisfaction for the sins of men; He knew that a divine person was
needed to do that [...]. My Father (Jesus Christ said), all the
victims offered You up to this are not enough and never will be enough
to satisfy Your justice; You gave Me a body capable of experiencing
suffering, so that You might be placated by the shedding of My blood,
and men thereby saved; `"ecce venio", here I am, ready; I accept
everything and in all things do I submit to Your will'. The lower part
of His human nature naturally felt repugnance and reacted against
living and dying in so much pain and opprobium, but its rational part,
which was fully subject to the Father's will, had the upper hand; it
accepted everything, and therefore Jesus Christ began to suffer, from
that point onwards, all the anguish and pain which He would undergo in
the course of His life. That is how our Divine Redeemer acted from the
very first moments of His coming into the world. So, how should we
behave towards Jesus when, come to the use of reason, we begin to know
the sacred mysteries of Redemption through the light of faith?" (St.
Alphonsus, "Advent Meditations", II, 5).

The Psalm speaks of "the roll of the book": this may refer to a
specific book or else to the Old Testament in general (cf. Luke 24:27;
John 5;39, 46, 47).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

For: Thursday, March 25, 2004

Solemnity: The Annunciation of the Lord

From: Luke 1:26-38

The Annunciation and Incarnation of the Son of God

[26] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city
of Galilee named Nazareth, [27] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
[28] And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is
with you!" [29] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and
considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. [30] And
the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. [32] He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give
to Him the throne of His father David, [33] and He will reign over the
house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there will be no end."
[34] And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no
husband?" [35] And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore
the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. [36] And
behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a
son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37]
For with God nothing will be impossible." [38] And Mary said, "Behold,
I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your
word." And the angel departed from her.

Commentary:

26-38. Here we contemplate our Lady who was "enriched from the first
instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique
holiness; [...] the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding
angel, by divine command, as `full of grace' (cf. Luke 1:28), and to
the heavenly messenger she replies, `Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to thy word' (Luke 1:38). Thus the
daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the
Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly to God's saving
will and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid
of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with Him,
serving the mystery of Redemption, by the grace of Almighty God.
Rightly, therefore, the Fathers (of the Church) see Mary not merely as
passively engaged by God, but as freely cooperating in the work of
man's salvation through faith and obedience" (Vatican II, "Lumen
Gentium", 56).

The annunciation to Mary and incarnation of the Word constitute the
deepest mystery of the relationship between God and men and the most
important event in the history of mankind: God becomes man, and will
remain so forever, such is the extent of His goodness and mercy and
love for all of us. And yet on the day when the Second Person of the
Blessed Trinity assumed frail human nature in the pure womb of the
Blessed Virgin, it all happened quietly, without fanfare of any kind.

St. Luke tells the story in a very simple way. We should treasure
these words of the Gospel and use them often, for example, practising
the Christian custom of saying the Angelus every day and reflecting on
the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

27. God chose to be born of a virgin; centuries earlier He disclosed
this through the prophet Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23). God,
"before all ages made choice of, and set in her proper place, a mother
for His only-begotten Son from whom He, after being made flesh, should
be born in the blessed fullness of time: and He continued His
persevering regard for her in preference to all other creatures, to
such a degree that for her alone He had singular regard" (Pius IX,
"Ineffabilis Deus," 2). This privilege granted to our Lady of being a
virgin and a mother at the same time is a unique gift of God. This was
the work of the Holy Spirit "who at the conception and the birth of
the Son so favored the Virgin Mother as to impart fruitfulness to her
while preserving inviolate her perpetual virginity" ("St. Pius V
Catechism," I, 4, 8). Paul VI reminds us of this truth of faith: "We
believe that the Blessed Mary, who ever enjoys the dignity of
virginity, was the Mother of the incarnate Word, of our God and Savior
Jesus Christ" ("Creed of the People of God", 14).

Although many suggestions have been made as to what the name Mary
means, most of the best scholars seem to agree that Mary means "lady".
However, no single meaning fully conveys the richness of the name.

28. "Hail, full of grace": literally the Greek text reads "Rejoice!",
obviously referring to the unique joy over the news which the angel is
about to communicate.

"Full of grace": by this unusual form of greeting the archangel reveals
Mary's special dignity and honor. The Fathers and Doctors of the
Church "taught that this singular, solemn and unheard-of-greeting
showed that all the divine graces reposed in the Mother of God and that
she was adorned with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit", which meant
that she "was never subject to the curse", that is, was preserved from
all sin. These words of the archangel in this text constitute one of
the sources which reveal the dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception (cf.
Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus"; Paul VI, "Creed of the People of God").

"The Lord is with you!": these words are not simply a greeting ("the
Lord be with you") but an affirmation ("the Lord is with you"), and
they are closely connected with the Incarnation. St. Augustine
comments by putting these words on the archangel's lips: "He is more
with you than He is with me: He is in your heart, He takes shape within
you, He fills your soul, He is in your womb" ("Sermo De Nativitate
Domini", 4).

Some important Greek manuscripts and early translations add at the end
of the verse: "Blessed are you among women!", meaning that God will
exalt Mary over all women. She is more excellent than Sarah, Hannah,
Deborah, Rachel, Judith, etc., for only she has the supreme honor of
being chosen to be the Mother of God.

29-30. Our Lady is troubled by the presence of the archangel and by the
confusion truly humble people experience when they receive praise.

30. The Annunciation is the moment when our Lady is given to know the
vocation which God planned for her from eternity. When the archangel
sets her mind at ease by saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary," he is
helping her to overcome that initial fear which a person normally
experiences when God gives him or her a special calling. The fact that
Mary felt this fear does not imply the least trace of imperfection in
her: hers is a perfectly natural reaction in the face of the
supernatural. Imperfection would arise if one did not overcome this
fear or rejected the advice of those in a position to help--as St.
Gabriel helped Mary.

31-33. The archangel Gabriel tells the Blessed Virgin Mary that she is
to be the Mother of God by reminding her of the words of Isaiah which
announced that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, a prophecy which
will find its fulfillment in Mary (cf. Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 7:14).

He reveals that the Child will be "great": His greatness comes from His
being God, a greatness He does not lose when He takes on the lowliness
of human nature. He also reveals that Jesus will be the king of the
Davidic dynasty sent by God in keeping with His promise of salvation;
that His Kingdom will last forever, for His humanity will remain
forever joined to His divinity; that "He will be called Son of the Most
High", that is that He really will be the Son of the Most High and will
be publicly recognized as such, that is, the Child will be the Son of
God.

The archangel's announcement evokes the ancient prophecies which
foretold these prerogatives. Mary, who was well-versed in Sacred
Scripture, clearly realized that she was to be the Mother of God.

34-38. Commenting on this passage John Paul II said: "`Virgo fidelis',
the faithful Virgin. What does this faithfulness of Mary mean? What
are the dimensions of this faithfulness? The first dimension is called
search. Mary was faithful first of all when she began, lovingly, to
seek the deep sense of God's plan in her and for the world. `Quomodo
fiet?' How shall this be?, she asked the Angel of the Annunciation
[...]."

"The second dimension of faithfulness is called reception, acceptance.
The `quomodo fiet?' is changed, on Mary's lips, to a `fiat': Let it be
done, I am ready, I accept. This is the crucial moment of
faithfulness, the moment in which man perceives that he will never
completely understand the `how': that there are in God's plan more
areas of mystery than of clarity; that is, however he may try, he will
never succeed in understanding it completely[...]."

"The third dimension of faithfulness is consistency to live in
accordance with what one believes; to adapt one's own life to the
object of one's adherence. To accept misunderstanding, persecutions,
rather than a break between what one practises and what one believes:
this is consistency[...]."

"But all faithfulness must pass the most exacting test, that of
duration. Therefore, the fourth dimension of faithfulness is
constancy. It is easy to be consistent for a day or two. It is
difficult and important to be consistent for one's whole life. It is
easy to be consistent in the hour of enthusiasm, it is difficult to be
so in the hour of tribulation. And only a consistency that lasts
throughout the whole life can be called faithfulness. Mary's `fiat' in
the Annunciation finds its fullness in the silent `fiat' that she
repeats at the foot of the Cross" ("Homily in Mexico City Cathedral",
26 January 1979).

34. Mary believed in the archangel's words absolutely; she did not
doubt as Zechariah had done (cf. 1:18). Her question, "How can this
be?", expresses her readiness to obey the will of God even though at
first sight it implied a contradiction: on the one hand, she was
convinced that God wished her to remain a virgin; on the other, here
was God also announcing that she would become a mother. The archangel
announces God's mysterious design, and what had seemed impossible,
according to the laws of nature, is explained by a unique intervention
on the part of God.

Mary's resolution to remain a virgin was certainly something very
unusual, not in line with the practice of righteous people under the
Old Covenant, for, as St. Augustine explains, "particularly attentive
to the propagation and growth of the people of God, through whom the
Prince and Savior of the world might be prophesied and be born, the
saints were obliged to make use of the good of matrimony" ("De Bono
Matrimonii", 9, 9). However, in the Old Testament, there were some who,
in keeping with God's plan, did remain celibate--for example, Jeremiah,
Elijah, Eliseus and John the Baptist. The Blessed Virgin, who received
a very special inspiration of the Holy Spirit to practise virginity, is
a first-fruit of the New Testament, which will establish the excellence
of virginity over marriage while not taking from the holiness of the
married state, which it raises to the level of a sacrament (cf.
"Gaudium Et Spes", 48).

35. The "shadow" is a symbol of the presence of God. When Israel was
journeying through the wilderness, the glory of God filled the
Tabernacle and a cloud covered the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus
40:34-36). And when God gave Moses the tablets of the Law, a cloud
covered Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:15-16); and also, at the Transfiguration
of Jesus the voice of God the Father was heard coming out of a cloud
(Luke 9:35).

At the moment of the Incarnation the power of God envelops our Lady--an
expression of God's omnipotence. The Spirit of God--which, according
to the account in Genesis (1:2), moved over the face of the waters,
bringing things to life--now comes down on Mary. And the fruit of her
womb will be the work of the Holy Spirit. The Virgin Mary, who herself
was conceived without any stain of sin (cf. Pius IX, "Ineffabilis
Deus") becomes, after the Incarnation, a new tabernacle of God. This
is the mystery we recall every day when saying the Angelus.

38. Once she learns of God's plan, our Lady yields to God's will with
prompt obedience, unreservedly. She realizes the disproportion between
what she is going to become--the Mother of God--and what she is--a
woman. However, this is what God wants to happen and for Him nothing
is impossible; therefore no one should stand in His way. So Mary,
combining humility and obedience, responds perfectly to God's call:
"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done according to
your word."

"At the enchantment of this virginal phrase, the Word became flesh"
([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", first joyful mystery). From the
pure body of Mary, God shaped a new body, He created a soul out of
nothing, and the Son of God united Himself with this body and soul:
prior to this He was only God; now He is still God but also man. Mary
is now the Mother of God. This truth is a dogma of faith, first
defined by the Council of Ephesus (431). At this point she also begins
to be the spiritual Mother of all mankind. What Christ says when He is
dying--`Behold, your son..., behold, your mother" (John
19:26-27)--simply promulgates what came about silently at Nazareth.
"With her generous `fiat' (Mary) became, through the working of the
Spirit, the Mother of God, but also the Mother of the living, and, by
receiving into her womb the one Mediator, she became the true Ark of
the Covenant and true Temple of God" (Paul VI, "Marialis Cultus", 6).

The Annunciation shows us the Blessed Virgin as perfect model of
"purity" (the RSV "I have no husband" is a euphemism); of "humility"
("Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord"); of "candor" and "simplicity"
("How can this be?"); of "obedience" and "lively faith" ("Let it be done
to me according to your word"). "Following her example of obedience to
God, we can learn to serve delicately without being slavish. In Mary,
we don't find the slightest trace of the attitude of the foolish
virgins, who obey, but thoughtlessly. Our Lady listens attentively to
what God wants, ponders what she doesn't fully understand and asks about
what she doesn't know. Then she gives herself completely to doing the
divine will: `Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to
me according to your word'. Isn't that marvellous? The Blessed
Virgin, our teacher in all we do, shows us here that obedience to God
is not servile, does not bypass our conscience. We should be inwardly
moved to discover the `freedom of the children of God' (cf. Romans
8:21)" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 173).

Found here: http://www.catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?vm_id=6&art_id=22486

by Msgr. Charles M. Mangan

Starting Something Big

3/25/04

The world was never the same after the sacred encounter we call the Annunciation. We know so well what transpired on that eventful day: Mary of Nazareth consented to God’s plan as announced by the Archangel Gabriel that she would conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit and that the blessed Fruit of her virginal womb would be called Jesus (Luke 1:26-38).

Those who had been waiting for the Messiah would have their hopes fulfilled. The Almighty had answered their fervent prayers. The Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity now had become incarnate, taking our human nature unto Himself.

It is clear what the Annunciation meant for those believers who for centuries had anticipated and prepared their hearts for the Lord’s arrival. But now that Jesus Christ has appeared, suffered, died, risen and ascended to His Father, what relevancy has the Annunciation for us?

The Solemnity of the Annunciation, which the Universal Church commemorates each March 25, spurs us to reflect on this great mystery and recognize its value for us. The import of the Annunciation is multifaceted. Here are just a few of its various significances for us.

1. The Annunciation signals the beginning of our relationship with Jesus, “God with us.” The humble Messiah did not disdain the Ever-Virgin’s chaste body. He came to us through her. And as so many spiritual authors have suggested — Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) being one of the most famous — we can now choose to approach Christ as He has come to us: through the pure hands of the Maiden.

Mary infallibly leads us to her Divine Son. If we want to know Jesus, we should get close to His mother. She will teach us plenty of those “maternal secrets” that will enable us to love and understand Him better.

2. Mary’s prompt acceptance of the will of the Lord is the pattern for our obedience. Our Blessed Lady really did enjoy the freedom to say “no” to the Almighty. She was not coerced to yield to the virginal conception of Jesus. But she replied affirmatively, trusting that the Lord would help her. And each of us is the better for it.

Mary realized that God would not lead her astray. Whatever He asked of her, she surrendered without delay.

3. The “spirit world,” with its good angels and demons, has relevancy for us. It is fashionable today in some quarters to deny those “created spirits” that are either virtuous or evil. They are only figments of our imagination or, if you prefer, mere objects of artistic genius.

Not so. Whether righteous or fallen, the angels are as real as we are. God uses His angelic servants for many just purposes, while the demons never stop trying to tempt us to commit sin. By cultivating a rapport with our Guardian Angel and his companions, we not only benefit from the assistance of the angels, but we also remind ourselves of the existence of the spirit world.

4. The treasure that we call human life commences at the moment of conception. Some argue that because the magnificent Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225?-1274) thought that the soul was not infused until some weeks after conception, we may, for a certain period, allow for abortion since without a soul there is no person.

True, a human person is a “body-soul composite.” But Saint Thomas did not advocate aborting the newly-conceived. He held that abortion at any time in a pregnancy was a grave wrong. And since his era, science and medicine indicate that the tiny human embryo grows and matures — and lives!

The Annunciation cannot be overestimated. It ushered in the reign of Jesus Christ to Whom we belong and of Whom it may be said: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:34).

Thursday March 25, 2004 Feast of the Annunciation

Reading I (Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10) Reading II (Hebrews 10:4-10)

Gospel (St. Luke 1:26-38)

As we celebrate today the Feast of the Annunciation, we must remember also that really we celebrate the Feast of the Incarnation. Today is the day that God became man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The divine condescension and the divine humility that is involved in this feast and in this mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is something which boggles the human mind. We cannot even begin to grasp how much God loves us and how much He is willing to do to be able to demonstrate that. We still like to go around thinking how horrible and worthless we are when God over and over again tries to make clear that it is not true. One could ask, “How much more evidence do we need other than the fact that God took on our human nature?” As Saint Paul makes very clear at the end of the second reading, we have been consecrated: By this will we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Again, not only does God take our human nature to Himself, raising up our nature to a divine level and raising us up to a divine nature to act and to be in a divine manner, but He has consecrated each one of us. He has set us aside for a holy purpose. He has chosen us.

Now it does not make sense to us why this would happen, but try to make sense of why God would become a man. We are not going to make sense of that either. We still have all kinds of objections as to the idea that we would be able to be called by God, that we would be loved by God, that God would actually want us, sinners that we are, to do something extraordinary, or even to do something which is ordinary. Yet as the angel said to Our Lady: Nothing shall be impossible for God. If God is willing to become one of us, to come down to our level, to live a human life, to be within the holy and beautiful womb of Our Blessed Lady, and then of course to go through His Passion and Death for us, why would we think that He would not do anything else for us? Why do we think we are so bad that He would not want us? Look at what He has done for us.

What we need to focus on is how much God loves us, and just what He is willing to do to bring us to Himself. We know that there is an enemy who is trying to keep us from God, and yet God will do anything to be able to bring us to Himself. The only thing that God will not do is force us. He has given us a free will and we have to make a choice. He will not force us to do His Will; He will not force us to accept His love; we have to choose. And if we keep coming up with all the rationalizations as to why it cannot happen, then we have chosen Satan and all of his lies. Now we have to remember, of course, in what the devil is telling us there is certainly some truth. “Look at your sins! Look at how badly you’ve offended God! Look at what you’ve done! Look at this, look at that, look at the other thing!” Those things may all be true, but look at what the devil has done. He has gotten us to focus on ourselves and not on God. It is time that we get the focus where it belongs to look at Jesus and stop looking at ourselves.

Remember, those are the two eternal choices. Hell is going to be looking at yourself for the rest of eternity, and that really is a perfect description of hell. What a miserable existence! Focusing on ourselves for the rest of eternity! No hope, no possibility of ever getting out of it, nothing – because we cannot save ourselves. We have no ability within ourselves to overcome ourselves, so why do we want to focus on ourselves? If we want to do that, we are already doing exactly what the devil wants and we are preparing ourselves for eternity in hell. Why? Get the focus where it belongs, and that is on Jesus, Who can save us, Who can free us from our sinfulness and from ourselves, and Who wants us for Himself.

If we keep looking at it and saying, “It doesn’t make sense,” then we are heading the wrong direction. When Our Lady looked at the angel and said, basically, “It doesn’t make sense; how can this be?” the angel explained to her, “This is how it’s going to happen and nothing will be impossible for God.” Our Lady did not say, “Well, I don’t understand it, so therefore it can’t be; therefore, forget it.” She said, Be it done unto me according to Thy word. The Word of God is Jesus Christ. Let it be done to me according to Thy word, O God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us so that we could become God, so that we could share in the divine nature. He came to us so that we can come to Him. No, it does not make sense, and it never will because it is an act of love, not an act of reason. So quit trying to reason it out and figure it out because it will never happen. Just accept the love of God and put the focus where it belongs, on the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and on the salvation which follows from it, so that we can prepare ourselves by looking at Him for an eternity with Him. That is the only thing that matters. Accept God’s Will, accept His love, put the focus on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and prepare yourself for eternity with God.

March 25, 2004 / Annunciation of the Lord

Luke 1: 26-38

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Introductory Prayer:Mary, on this day in which we celebrate the Incarnation of God’s Son, conceived in your womb through your “Yes”, I thank you for showing me how to respond to whatever God asks. Mary, pray for us sinners, pray for me that I may also respond to what God asks of me today.

Petition:Lord, I want to do your will. Let it be done to me according to your word.

1. The Lord is with you There are moments in our lives when God makes his presence felt, and others when it is scarcely perceptible. Yet we can know that he is with us. If Christ told us, “I am the vine and you are the branches…without me you can do nothing,” how can he send us out, how can he demand from us without also promising, “I will be with you”? The Lord doesn’t promise his assistance only to the select few, the great ones. God set his favor on this humble girl. The only requisite that God places on us is humility, that we recognize our smallness and our dependence on him.

2. How can this be? God asks and challenges, and naturally, questions and doubts arise. Mary received an answer but not a complete one. She had to wait and discern, struggling through all the details just as we do. Often she was likely taken by surprise because God’s ways are not our ways. Yet she persevered because of her humility and hope. She didn’t have to understand. How different are my criteria from hers! How often I refuse to act if I don’t see everything clearly! Mary, show me how to obey, not because it makes sense, but because God’s words are worthy of belief and trust.

3. Nothing will be impossible for God Once we truly believe this, we don’t need to understand everything. But we will never get there unless we radically exercise our faith. The only way we will be convinced of God’s power is if we allow him to take us into scary situations—situations where it is patently clear that it is He who is working. I can admire Mary’s faith and praise her for all the favors God bestowed on her, but until I let faith radically guide my life, will I ever know the full extent to which the Lord is with me? Maybe I can allow that nothing is impossible for God, but am I willing to admit that nothing is impossible for God through me?

Dialogue with Christ: Lord, your presence in the Blessed Virgin helped sustain her through some of her most difficult trials. Help me to always live in your presence as she did. One of the ways you allow me to do so is through the Blessed Sacrament. I want to receive you frequently in the Sacrament of the Eucharist so that I can face the trials courageously that beset me today.

Resolution: I will receive Communion today if possible or make a spiritual communion. If I am not in the proper disposition to receive him, I will make a thorough examination of conscience and confess my sins at the next opportunity.

...

The world was never the same after the sacred encounter we call the Annunciation. We know so well what transpired on that eventful day: Mary of Nazareth consented to God’s plan as announced by the Archangel Gabriel that she would conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit and that the blessed Fruit of her virginal womb would be called Jesus (Luke 1:26-38).


Those who had been waiting for the Messiah would have their hopes fulfilled. The Almighty had answered their fervent prayers. The Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity now had become incarnate, taking our human nature unto Himself. It is clear what the Annunciation meant for those believers who for centuries had anticipated and prepared their hearts for the Lord’s arrival. But now that Jesus Christ has appeared, suffered, died, risen and ascended to His Father, what relevancy has the Annunciation for us? The Solemnity of the Annunciation, which the Universal Church commemorates each March 25, spurs us to reflect on this great mystery and recognize its value for us. The import of the Annunciation is multifaceted. Here are just a few of its various significances for us. 1. The Annunciation signals the beginning of our relationship with Jesus, “God with us.” The humble Messiah did not disdain the Ever-Virgin’s chaste body. He came to us through her. And as so many spiritual authors have suggested — Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) being one of the most famous — we can now choose to approach Christ as He has come to us: through the pure hands of the Maiden. Mary infallibly leads us to her Divine Son. If we want to know Jesus, we should get close to His mother. She will teach us plenty of those “maternal secrets” that will enable us to love and understand Him better. 2. Mary’s prompt acceptance of the will of the Lord is the pattern for our obedience. Our Blessed Lady really did enjoy the freedom to say “no” to the Almighty. She was not coerced to yield to the virginal conception of Jesus. But she replied affirmatively, trusting that the Lord would help her. And each of us is the better for it. Mary realized that God would not lead her astray. Whatever He asked of her, she surrendered without delay. 3. The “spirit world,” with its good angels and demons, has relevancy for us. It is fashionable today in some quarters to deny those “created spirits” that are either virtuous or evil. They are only figments of our imagination or, if you prefer, mere objects of artistic genius. Not so. Whether righteous or fallen, the angels are as real as we are. God uses His angelic servants for many just purposes, while the demons never stop trying to tempt us to commit sin. By cultivating a rapport with our Guardian Angel and his companions, we not only benefit from the assistance of the angels, but we also remind ourselves of the existence of the spirit world. *4. The treasure that we call human life* commences at the moment of conception.** Some argue that because the magnificent Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225?-1274) thought that the soul was not infused until some weeks after conception, we may, for a certain period, allow for abortion since without a soul there is no person. True, a human person is a “body-soul composite.” But Saint Thomas did not advocate aborting the newly-conceived. He held that abortion at any time in a pregnancy was a grave wrong. And since his era, science and medicine indicate that the tiny human embryo grows and matures — and lives! The Annunciation cannot be overestimated. It ushered in the reign of Jesus Christ to Whom we belong and of Whom it may be said: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:34). © Copyright 2004 Catholic Exchange Monsignor Charles M. Mangan was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Sioux Falls in 1989. He is presently assigned to the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

March 25, 2004

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Old Calendar: Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Again Lent's austerity is interrupted as we solemnly keep a feast in honor of the Annunciation. The Annunciation is a mystery that belongs to the temporal rather than to the sanctoral cycle in the Church's calendar. For the feast commemorates the most sublime moment in the history of time, the moment when the Second Divine Person of the most Holy Trinity assumed human nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Thus it is a feast of our Lord, even as it is of Mary, although the liturgy centers wholly around the Mother of God. - The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

The Station is at the church of Saints Sylvester and Martin, which is one of the most venerable in Rome. It was originally built by Pope St. Sylvester, and still bears his name: but in the sixth century, it was consecrated to St. Martin of Tours. In the seventh century, it was enriched with the relics of Pope Saint Martin, which were brought from Chersonesus, where he had died a martyr a few years before. This church was the first Title of St. Charles Borromeo. It was also that of the learned liturgiologist, the Blessed Joseph-Mary Tommasi, whose body is now venerated in this church, and has been miraculously preserved, even to this day, in a state of incorruption.

The Annunciation

A tradition, which has come down from the apostolic ages, tells us that the great mystery of the Incarnation was achieved on the twenty-fifth day of March. It was at the hour of midnight, when the most holy Virgin was alone and absorbed in prayer, that the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her, and asked her, in the name of the blessed Trinity, to consent to become the Mother of God. Let us assist, in spirit, at this wonderful interview between the angel and the Virgin: and, at the same time, let us think of that other interview which took place between Eve and the serpent. A holy bishop and martyr of the second century, Saint Irenaeus, who had received the tradition from the very disciples of the apostles, shows us that Nazareth is the counterpart of Eden.'

In the garden of delights there is a virgin and an angel; and a conversation takes place-between them. At Nazareth a virgin is also addressed by an angel, and she answers him; but the angel of the earthly paradise is a spirit of darkness, and he of Nazareth is a spirit of light. In both instances it is the angel that has the first word. 'Why,' said the serpent to Eve, 'hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?' His question implies impatience and a solicitation to evil; he has contempt for the frail creature to whom he addresses it, but he hates the image of God which is upon her.

See, on the other hand, the angel of light; see with what composure and peacefulness he approaches the Virgin of Nazareth, the new Eve; and how respectfully he bows himself down before her: 'Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women!' Such language is evidently of heaven: none but an angel could speak thus to Mary.

Scarcely has the wicked spirit finished speaking than Eve casts a longing look at the forbidden fruit: she is impatient to enjoy the independence it is to bring her. She rashly stretches forth her hand; she plucks the fruit; she eats it, and death takes possession of her: death of the soul, for sin extinguishes the light of life; and death of the body, which being separated from the source of immortality, becomes an object of shame and horror, and finally crumbles into dust.

But let us turn away our eyes from this sad spectacle, and fix them on Nazareth. Mary has heard the angel's explanation of the mystery; the will of heaven is made known to her, and how grand an honor it is to bring upon her! She, the humble maid of Nazareth, is to have the ineffable happiness of becoming the Mother of God, and yet the treasure of her virginity is to be left to her! Mary bows down before this sovereign will, and says to the heavenly messenger: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.'

Thus, as the great St. Irenaeus and so many of the holy fathers remark, the obedience of the second Eve repaired the disobedience of the first: for no sooner does the Virgin of Nazareth speak her fiat, 'be it done,' than the eternal Son of God (who, according to the divine decree, awaited this word) is present, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, in the chaste womb of Mary, and there He begins His human life. A Virgin is a Mother, and Mother of God; and it is this Virgin's consenting to the divine will that has made her conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost. This sublime mystery puts between the eternal Word and a mere woman the relations of Son and Mother; it gives to the almighty God a means whereby He may, in a manner worthy of His majesty, triumph over satan, who hitherto seemed to have prevailed against the divine plan.

Never was there a more entire or humiliating defeat than that which this day befell satan. The frail creature, over whom he had so easily triumphed at the beginning of the world, now rises and crushes his proud head. Eve conquers in Mary. God would not choose man for the instrument of His vengeance; the humiliation of satan would not have been great enough; and therefore she who was the first prey of hell, the first victim of the tempter, is selected to give battle to the enemy. The result of so glorious a triumph is that Mary is to be superior not only to the rebel angels, but to the whole human race, yea, to all the angels of heaven. Seated on her exalted throne, she, the Mother of God, is to be the Queen of all creation. Satan, in the depths of the abyss, will eternally bewail his having dared to direct his first attack against the woman, for God has now so gloriously avenged her; and in heaven, the very Cherubim and Seraphim reverently look up to Mary, and deem themselves honored when she smiles upon them, or employs them in the execution of any of her wishes, for she is the Mother of their God.

Therefore is it that we, the children of Adam, who have been snatched by Mary's obedience from the power of hell, solemnize this day of the Annunciation. Well may we say of Mary those words of Debbora, when she sang her song of victory over the enemies of God's people: 'The valiant men ceased, and rested in Israel, until Debbora arose, a mother arose in Israel. The Lord chose new wars, and He Himself overthrew the gates of the enemies." Let us also refer to the holy Mother of Jesus these words of Judith, who by her victory over the enemy was another type of Mary: 'Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath not forsaken them that hope in Him. And by me, His handmaid, He hath fulfilled His mercy, which He promised to the house of Israel; and He hath killed the enemy of His people by my hand this night. . . . The almighty Lord hath struck him, and hath delivered him into the hands of a woman, and hath slain him.' - The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

Things to Do:

This feast is very important in the defense of the life of unborn children. Even with small children, this is a good day to begin teaching about the high value God places on human life. He loved us so much that he became one of us, took on our human nature and became a innocent, completely dependent infant.
This is a Solemnity, so when this feast falls during the Lenten season, our Lenten penance obligations are lifted. We should celebrate by some special food or dinner. This feast day forecasts the blessed event of Christmas, and illustrates how the liturgical year is a endless circle of days. To celebrate this circle or cycle, serve a cake, coffee rings, or wreath-shaped cookies, or foods shaped in ring molds for this feast day. A perfect symbolic food would be an angel food cake for the archangel Gabriel, baked in a tube pan for the endless circle, decorated with the frosting highlighted with blue for Mary).
A traditional food for this day is waffles. "Lady Day" or Annunciation, is the only feast of Mary that Sweden still celebrates after the Lutheran faith became the state religion in 1593. In most of Europe, waffles are a traditional feast day food, but on the feast of the Annunciation in Sweden this is THE "Waffle Day" (Vaffeldagen), where waffles are served either for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with lingonberries or cloudberries.

Recipes:

·	Swedish Waffles
·	Waffles
·	Name Day Cake
·	Jellied Macaroni Ring
·	Luscious Coffee Ring
·	Angel Food Cake I
·	Angel Food Cake II
·	European Chocolate Icing
·	Classic Angel Food Cake
·	Boiled White Icing

Prayers:

·	Table Blessing for the Solemnity of the Annunciation
·	Annunciation Novena

Activities:

·	Preschool Parent Pedagogy: How to Tell Stories
·	Annunciation: A Little Play for Preschool Children
·	Namedays
·	Mary Garden
·	Ave Maria Dear
·	Salve Regina
·	'Tis Said of Our Dear Lady
·	Stella Matutina
·	Beautiful, Glorious
·	A Single Branch Three Roses Bore
·	Virgin Blessed, Thou Star the Fairest
·	Feast of the Annunciation
·	Annunciation Day
·	Annunciation Tableau
·	Angelus Lesson
·	Celebrating the Feasts of the Blessed Virgin
·	Feast of the Annunciation

/TBODY>

Collect:
God our Father, your Word became man and was born of the Virgin Mary. May we become more like Jesus Christ, whom we acknowledge as our redeemer, God and man. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

March 25, 2004

Annunciation of the Lord

The feast of the Annunciation goes back to the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" (John 15:13).

Mary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. As Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity.

She is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38).

Together with Jesus, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best, after Jesus, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us.

Comment:

Sometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Mary-even in the midst of her very ordinary life-is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design.

Quote:

"Enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness, the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by divine command, as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly and impeded by no sin to God’s saving will, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with him, serving the mystery of redemption, by the grace of Almighty God" (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

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