20 December/Monday
Isa 7:10-14/Psa 24:1-6/Luke 1:26-38
By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD
First Reading Isaiah 7:10-14
The maiden is with child
The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’
Then Isaiah said:
‘Listen now, House of David:
are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 23(24):1-6
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
Emmanuel,
our king and lawgiver,
come and save us,
Lord our God.
Alleluia!
Gospel Luke 1:26-38
'I am the handmaid of the Lord'
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.
Reflection
After a reflection on the story of the visitation of Elizabeth by Mary, the liturgy proposes today the story of the annunciation of the conception of Jesus Christ. This particular reflection is not so much to commemorate the event of the annunciation but to help us recapitulate the event that culminates in the nativity of Jesus Christ. The greeting of the angel Gabriel at the beginning of the encounter is full of meaning. The words of the angel “Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you” is an indication that God dwells in Mary. In the case of Mary, it is not a simple greeting but a confirmation of what she was to experience as she bears the Son of God in her womb. The Lord is with her because she has not only found favour with God but she is also destined to be the Mother of God.
Despite the great honour done to her, Mary portrays herself as a humble woman. She maintained her simplicity of heart and mind with which she questioned the angel to know more about what was to happen in her life. Hearing that she was to conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit, she decided to abandon herself in the hands of God. She decided to respond positively to the plan of God, thus collaborating with God in accomplishing his plan of salvation. The “yes” of Mary was essential in the accomplishment of the incarnation of the Son of God. It is also good to note how this story of the annunciation is seen as a fulfilment of what Isaiah prophesied in the First Reading to Ahaz that “the maiden is with child and would soon give birth to a son whom she would call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’.’”
We learn from Mary how to be humble in life. She is our model for giving a positive response to the will of God in our lives. It is by saying yes always to the plan of God that we advance his plan of salvation. Christmas would be more meaningful for us all if we see it as an occasion to renew our “yes” to the Lord. Christmas is a time for us to cooperate with God in making known his Son who has come to dwell among us. May these days of preparation enable us to give ourselves completely to God in his son Jesus Christ.
