Wesnesday March 25, 2009 The Annunciation

WEDNESDAY March 25, 2009 he Feast of The Annunciation
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8: 10 Psalm 40 Hebrews 10: 4-10\ Luke 1: 20-38
Psalm Response: “Here I am Lord, I come to do Your will”

In the 6th Century BC, Ahaz was Israel’s, the Northern Kingdom’s, Davidic King in a long line of leaders who defied the Law and bowed to alien gods. He had many wives and concubines in his harem.
Isaiah was prompted by God to speak for Him, trying to turn the hearts of man back to God. Isaiah proposed Ahaz to ask God for some sign to indicate God was with him despite his apostasy. Ahaz impudently scoffed at Isaiah’s urging and adamantly refused,. feigning humility.
So, Isaiah told him, the Lord God would give him an unusual sign, “ An unmarried maiden would conceive and bear a boy child” Ahaz was to be a father to him and he would be called Emanuel, ‘God with us’!”
Scripture writers later, would project this prophecy into the first century AD as the fulfillment God’s promise of a redeemer who would be with them. The angel Gabriel concluded the promise of God by announcing to Mary, a betrothed virgin, would become the mother of Our Redeemer.

The kings of old excused themselves of wrongdoing but, by making provision for many offerings, thought they were vindicated. The psalmist reminds us, the importance lies, not in the sacrifices and sin offerings, but in repentance snd contrition needed for us to do His will for us.

The writer of Hebrews, was thought to have written his letter after Trajan had destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem in about 70 AD. The Jews thought they were lost with no place to offer sacrifices. The writer soothes them by reminding them Christ, by His cross and resurrection supplanted the animal holocausts of old, once for all. Just as the Jewish Passover places the participants at the exodus from Egypt, so, the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Mass places us there beneath the cross with Mary and john and with Mary of Magdela at the empty tomb on Easter Morn.

Tradition has Mary the Mother of Our Lord, in the role of the Virgin betrothed to Joseph when the angel Gabriel announced her favor with God and the conception of Jesus b the Holy Spirit.
Mary, at first bewildered, accepted the responsibility and declared her intention to do God’s will for her.
When God selects us for some task, can we, like Mary say, “ Let it be done to me according to Your word!?”