The Joy of Accompanying God!

Monday, April 8, 2024

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Is 7:10-14;8:10; Heb 10:4-10;Lk 1:26-38

Today, we celebrate the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. 

The Gospel text in which Mary gives her ‘unconditional’ ‘yes’ to the Lord needs some unpacking.

At first, Mary’s ‘yes’ must be distinguished from the behaviour of the ‘yes people’ who exhibit an attitude of unconditional surrender, either because they are not ready to face any challenges or because they want to win favour for themselves at any cost. 

But, Mary’s ‘yes’ is completely unique.

Mary is fully aware of the challenges involved in cooperating with God’s will. The text that reads, ‘Mary was greatly troubled and pondered what sort of greeting this might be’ reveals that Mary was a thoughtful woman. Even her question, ‘How can this be?’ shows that Mary always reasoned out. This could well be the fact behind her ability to discern. 

Secondly, Mary weighs the challenges involved in giving that ‘yes.’ She was risking her life, her reputation, and the reputation of her family. 

Therefore, we understand that Mary makes a fully informed decision to cooperate with God’s will. 

Why was Mary’s ‘yes’ so important? 

1.God needed Mary’s ‘yes’ to activate His plan for the redemption of the world. Mary’s willing cooperation facilitates the actualizing of God’s promise given after the Fall of the first parents. 

2. The world needed Mary’s ‘yes’ to witness its salvation in Jesus. Jesus’ incarnation became a reality through Mary’s unconditional ‘yes’ to the Divine Will. 

3. Mary herself needed the ‘yes’ to become the Divine Mother. By means of her ‘yes,’ Mary, who found favour with God, became the Mother of God. 

Mary found her blessing and happiness in saying ‘yes’ to God’s will, though it came at the cost of her own heart being pierced with a sword.

As such, the feast of the Annunciation celebrates the joy of Mary accompanying God and invites us to imitate her extraordinary example. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar