(2 Sam 7,1-5.8-12.14-16; Rom 16,25-27; Luke 1,26-38: 4th Sun of Advent:
Year B)
Today’s gospel reading is the narrative often referred to as the
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Often the Blessed Virgin Mary was
regarded as the chief protagonist of this passage. Indeed, she is a
protagonist, but the principal protagonist is Jesus Christ. The scope of the
narrative, according to the author’s opinion, the Evangelist Luke, was to tell
us who Jesus, this child that was about to be born in Bethlehem by
Maria through the special intervention of God, was, and what his mission in the
world would be. The passage brings out his personality and mission,
thus:
· Jesus
shall be great, the Angel said. He will be great not
only in the relative sense to men, but also in the absolute sense, as God
himself; He is equal to God
·
(b) Jesus would also be Son of the most High, would be Holy and Son of God. This
last expression shows the mysterious and unique relationship that exists
between the Person of Jesus and that of God, the Father. When we profess in the
Creed we speak of Jesus: God
from God, consubstantial with the Father, True God from True God.
·
(c) Jesus is the one who realizes and brings to fulfilment the glorious
promises of stability and continuity made to House of David many centuries
before. The angel Gabriel in the gospel refers to it: The Lord God will give him the
throne of David... and he will reign for ever.
The above boils down to say that Jesus was the promised true Messiah and
Saviour, upon whom the favour of God rests; the One who would reign over men
forever, who was coming to bring peace, re-establish justice, restore the
rights of people, and unite around himself all the people. All these things,
which the word of God proclaims about Jesus, justify our joy and extraordinary
solemnity with which we prepare to celebrate his birth. The event of the birth
of Christ is indeed great, unique and one that gives a new direction and
meaning to the history and destiny of people. If in Jesus, the promises of God
to David were realized, the bankruptcy of the House of David notwithstanding, it means
that God is always faithful to his word as the Responsorial Psalm indicates.
This revealed truth should bring about in our lives sentiments of confidence in
God. God has promised us a lot of things through his Son, for example: his love
without limit, the forgiveness of our sins, his loving friendship, his divine
life, his continual nearness, his assistance and finally, eternal
life. If we are grateful to Him for his loving mercy, welcome and
give him space in our hearts, he will maintain and realize all he has promised
to us, our weaknesses, limitations and failings notwithstanding.
We indirectly alluded above to the dignity and role of Mary in God’s
work of the Incarnation and Redemption. Mary, according to Luke, is the one God
choose to be the Mother of his Son, and aware of her littleness, she
promptly and unconditionally said Yes to the divine will,
because she believed that He who
is great can do great things and that nothing
is impossible to Him. Mary is the one whom God chose to
collaborate in the plan of salvation, which he wished to bring about through
his Son. Mary co-operated, according to St. Paul in the revelation of a mystery kept secret for endless ages, but now
so clear that it must be broadcast to pagans everywhere. For Paul,
Mary was following what has been announced in the Scriptures and as well
fulfilling the will of God. He shared in the destiny of the Messiah except that
she did not suffer physically and was not rejected by people.
It is a fact that God requests the free collaboration of people in order
to realize his plans. St. Augustine hints to us God’s way of doing
things: He who created you without you, will not
save you without you. To save us from sin, to make us his adopted sons
and daughters, to grow in His loving friendship, God demands personal
commitment from us and our goodwill to do good following the teaching of his
Son, Jesus Christ. Paul also contributes to this theme: God kept for
ages the mystery of salvation and now reveals it and realizes it in
Jesus Christ. He demands from us obedience of faith, that is to say,
complete, full and responsible adhesion to the message of the gospel and to the
person of Jesus Christ and a corresponding coherent behaviour in life. God
demands our free co-operation even in the area of expansion of his Kingdom, in
order to bring Christ to souls, and spread the Good News, that God indeed loves
the people and he wishes all to be saved. It is true that God has no need of
us, but he wishes to use us to fulfil his plans, just as He used Mary to bring
about his designs of salvation. Let us learn from Mary to have faith in God and
to throw our hearts open to Him and to put ourselves completely at his
disposition, saying as she did: I am the hand maid of he Lord, be it done to me according
to your word. This would also mean: Do with me what you will. Help me to know
and do always your will. We all are small and poor creatures, and worse
still, sinners, but if God finds us humble, open to the gift of his grace and
obedient to his words, he will demonstrate to us that noting is
impossible to Him and that he can make the worst situation of our life
glorious. May we,
therefore, pray the good Lord at the Eucharist Celebration of today to give us
all the graces we need to appreciate the importance of the coming feast of
Christmas and to give us the disposition of Mary in order to realize the full
import of this feast in our lives. Amen!
As I wish you Happy Sunday I pray that the blessings of the
New Born Child be yours in abundance today, in and throughout the coming Year
and all the rest of your life.
Happy Sunday! Happy Christmas! Happy New Year!
+John I. Okoye.
