Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” March-April 2023

Annunciation of the Lord (feast)
proper

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 7:10-14; 8:10c)
In those days, the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God, from the depths of the underworld or from the heights above.” But Ahaz answered: “I will not ask; I will not tempt the Lord.” Then Isaiah said: “Listen, 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 a sign. Behold: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, because God is with us.” – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

Ahaz, the young king of Jerusalem, weak, worldly, and childless, sees his throne faltering because of the presence of enemy armies pressing against the borders of his kingdom. He plans to form human alliances, while the prophet Isaiah proposes placing complete trust in God. Indeed, in this situation, the prophet invites the king to ask for a “sign” as concrete confirmation of divine assistance. Ahaz rejects the proposal with motives of false religiosity, but despite the king’s hypocrisy, Isaiah announces that God will nevertheless give a sign: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, because God is with us.” In the immediate context, the prophet’s words refer to Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, whom the queen is about to give birth to and whose birth is seen, at that particular moment in history, as God’s saving presence on behalf of the people in difficulty. More deeply, however, Isaiah’s words announce a saving king; in this oracle of a “virgin giving birth,” Christian tradition has always seen the prophetic announcement of the birth of Jesus, son of Mary.

SECOND READING

From the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 10:4-10)
Brothers and sisters, it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. For this reason, on entering the world, Christ says: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. You took no pleasure in burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come – as it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’” After saying, “You neither desired nor took pleasure in sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin,” things offered according to the Law, he then says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” Thus he abolishes the first sacrifice to establish the new one. By that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the second reading

The passage chosen from the Letter to the Hebrews is taken from its context, which aims to demonstrate that Christ’s sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices of the Old Testament. The author of the letter first rereads Psalm 39 as though it were a declaration of Christ’s own intentions: by taking on flesh, he entered the world and came to dwell among us; this is the attitude of obedience characteristic of the people of the ancient covenant, namely, a complete “Behold, I come to do your will.” Christ’s incarnation as an attitude of obedience is perceived particularly on the day of the Annunciation of the Lord to Mary. The Virgin who receives the announcement and Jesus Christ who is announced: both pronounce an “Here I am”; both assume the identity of God’s “handmaid” and “servant.” That day of the announcement opens the messianic pilgrimage leading to the giving of Christ’s body as a saving, new, unique, and indispensable sacrifice, completed in the “sacrifice of the cross.” In this, Christ’s sacrifice is superior to those of the past.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:26-38)
At that time, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man from the house of David named Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary. Coming to her, he said: “Rejoice, 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; 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 do not know man?” 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 holy; he will be called 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.” Then 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. – The Gospel of the Lord. 

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

The account of the incarnation fills us with wonder and poetry: in everyday life, God asks a teenage girl to become a gateway to heaven. Not a powerful noblewoman, but the simplest of village girls. This is God’s logic: he raises the lowly to thrones and brings down the pride of the self-righteous. Look at this young woman from Nazareth speaking as an equal with the prince of angels! Look at her as she listens, is reassured, and asks for information! She knows that her life is at a crossroads, that history is at a crossroads. All creation awaits Mary’s answer with bated breath, writes Saint Bernard magnificently, and at last she breaks her hesitation and says her “yes.” It certainly was not easy, because Mary does not live in the clouds; she knows well what it means to face the future. Yet Mary trusts in God and knows how to give a concrete response to his call. This is the concreteness we too must have in order to make God present in our daily lives and in the history of the world. We too, if we wish, can be many gateways to heaven, through which God can reach people and people can draw closer to God. We need only pronounce our “yes” to the Lord’s love each day.