My dear friends, today we pause the somber, penitential tone of Lent. We change our vestments, we sing the Gloria, and we celebrate a moment...
My dear friends, today we pause the somber, penitential tone of Lent. We change our vestments, we sing the Gloria, and we celebrate a moment that literally shifted the axis of the universe: The Annunciation of the Lord. Today, we celebrate the exact moment the Word became flesh. And this incredible mystery unfolds for us through three words: Surprise, Surrender, and Salvation.
First, let us look at the Surprise. Imagine being Mary. She was a young, ordinary Jewish girl living in Nazareth—a small, dusty town that nobody paid much attention to. She had her life planned out. She was betrothed to Joseph; she was preparing for a quiet, faithful, domestic life. And then, without warning, the Angel Gabriel appears. "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." The Gospel tells us she was greatly troubled. Of course she was! God’s plans almost always arrive as a Surprise. They disrupt our neat, comfortable schedules.
Think about your own life. How many times has God surprised you? A sudden change in your career, an unexpected illness, a calling you never thought you’d pursue, or a deep tug in your heart to forgive someone you thought you’d hate forever. God rarely asks for our permission before He interrupts our lives; He simply invites us into a story much bigger than our own.
Which brings us to the second word: Surrender. When Gabriel explains that Mary will conceive the Son of God by the Holy Spirit, Mary asks a very practical question: "How can this be?" She doesn't doubt God; she just wants to understand the mechanics of the miracle. The angel assures her that nothing will be impossible for God.
And then comes the most beautiful sentence ever spoken by a human being. Mary says, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." This is not a sigh of resignation or passive defeat. This is an active, courageous Surrender. She didn't know the full path ahead. She didn't know about the flight into Egypt, the misunderstanding of her neighbors, or the agony of standing at the foot of the cross. She just knew that God was asking, and she trusted Him enough to say yes.
In the second reading, we hear Jesus saying to the Father, "I have come to do your will, O God." Mary's surrender perfectly echoed the surrender of her Son. Brothers and sisters, this is the hardest part of our faith. We like to be in control. We want to read the terms and conditions before we sign the contract with God. But God asks for our blank check. He asks for our daily surrender.
And from that Surrender comes the final word: Salvation. Because of Mary’s "yes," the prophecy of Isaiah we heard in the first reading was fulfilled. Emmanuel—God is with us—became a reality. The infinite God contained Himself within the womb of a teenage girl so that humanity could be saved. Mary’s obedience untied the knot of Eve’s disobedience.
Every time we say "yes" to God—every time we choose patience over anger, generosity over greed, purity over temptation—we make room for Christ to be born anew in our world. We become part of that ongoing story of Salvation.
As we continue this Mass, let us ask for the grace of the Blessed Virgin Mary. May we be open to God’s Surprises, may we have the courage to Surrender our plans to His will, and may our lives be a channel of His Salvation for the world. Amen.
No comments