25 March 2010
First reading Isaiah 7:10-14,8:10
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 he 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.’
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 39:7-11
Second reading Hebrews 10:4-10
Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what Christ said, on coming into the world:
You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’
Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Gospel Luke 1:26-38
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
By Fely Santiago
“I am the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word”
Even if we are in the season of Lent, we pause for a while and take time to celebrate a great feast --the feast of the Annunciation. This is the beginning of our salvation. It started with the “Yes” of Mary. What would have happened if Mary did not say “Yes?” Where are we now? How will our sins be forgiven? We would not have Lent. We would not have Good Friday and Easter. And most of all we would not have Christmas. We would not have “Emmanuel" – God with us.
This is a good time to thank Mama Mary. She showed us how to be totally obedient and trusting to the will of God. Like Mama Mary let us ever be ready to say “Yes” to God. He knows what is BEST for us. “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
Let us always be ready to say “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.” Yes. Learn to let Go and let GOD. For nothing is impossible with God.
Mama Mary, place myself in your heart so I can become a center of love and of true worship. Teach me to hear the word of God like you do and put it into practice so that I may be a source of grace to others. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Thank You Lord!
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