Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Information about the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord[1]

Readings for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10

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!"
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Commentary on Is 7:10-14; 8:10

In the first part of this reading King Ahaz is offered a sign by the Prophet Isaiah. However, Ahaz refuses the sign because it would indicate that God was intervening on the prophet’s side and he did not want to do that.

The sign that would be given in spite of the King’s refusal is the oracle we understand referring to the perfect realization of the promise of a Davidic Dynasty in the birth of the Messiah – Christ Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

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.
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Commentary on

Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

The Psalm of thanksgiving in this selection is focused on the key elements of today’s feast. We hear first of God’s desire for obedience, above sacrifice and burnt offerings, and then acceptance of God’s will.

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Reading II: Hebrews 10:4-10

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.
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Commentary on Heb 10:4-10

The first strophe from the selection in Psalm 40 above is quoted here by the author and applied as if it were the Jesus addressing God, the Father. The intent is to stress that the Hebrew practice of animal sacrifice does not find favor with God and that Jesus sacrifice of his own body is the one and only sacrifice acceptable.

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Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

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.
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Commentary on Luke 1:26-38

In Luke’s Gospel we are given the actual story of the Archangel Gabriel coming to Mary and telling her she has found favor with God (the eternal implication of this statement is made clear in the greeting which presupposes knowledge of Mary’s entire existence). Over her concerns she is told of her burden and privilege.

Not understanding Mary accepts her role and is told that the Holy Spirit will be the agent of the life within her and utters those amazing words: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

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Homily:

Does it seem odd that as we approach the climax of our Lenten Journey the Church celebrates this joyous event? Here we are in the most penitential time of the Church year, having for the past five weeks spent our time in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – recalling those times we have failed the Lord. Now, suddenly we are confronted with the joy of the Annunciation. This Feast of Mary is a way we are called back from our hyper-focus on ways we have failed to the great joy we experience in the sure knowledge of forgiveness. In our Holy Mother’s answer to St. Gabriel, we recall that the Lord came for us so that we might experience the unbounded mercy of our Heavenly Father.

We can only imagine the drama of that moment when the Archangel approached the young virgin. She was selected by God from her immaculate birth to be the perfect vessel for God’s Only Son, yet she was created as all of her race with free will. She was no slave to be commanded, she was offered an honor no human had ever been offered before of since. Still the consequences of acceptance would have been far from clear. Her innermost fears would have been screaming “Say no!” Satan and his minions would have been supporting that primal notion, praying for her to say no. Consider – if she had rejected the offer of bearing the Author of Life – death would never have been defeated. Sin and death would still rule the hearts of mankind.

But to our great joy, her words are passed to us from St. Luke, who it is likely heard them from the Blessed Mother directly, were "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." The young girl humbly accepted God’s will for her and in doing so set an example for all the generations that follow of obedience and grace in the face of difficult choices.

Today we interrupt our Lenten Fast to celebrate an event that was momentous in the history of the world. Today we celebrate the Holy Mother’s inauguration as the vessel of salvation and rejoice in the gift she has given as a consequence. Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness, and our hope!

Pax

[1] The picture used is “Annunciation” by Andrea Del Sarto,1512-13
[2] ALTRE
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.