Word to the Wise
Thursday, March 25, 2010 - The Annunciation of the Lord
[Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38]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 called holy, the Son of God.
It doesn't take long to figure out why this feast would be occurring in March. One counts back nine months from Christmas, December 25th. The event itself is one of the most important of New Testament events. It is, from a human interest perspective, also a poignant story. A young woman's life and faith are turned upside down by her willingness to be a collaborator in God's plan of salvation! Artists have been capturing the moment for centuries in all kinds of settings! The Church and theologians and us ordinary folks have been trying for the same amount of time to come to terms with the mystery of God's action in becoming a human person: the Incarnation. Luke's account is one "moment" in the New Testament effort. St. Paul has Jesus proclaimed God's Son at his resurrection. St. Mark has it at Jesus' baptism in the Jordan. St. Luke has it at Jesus' conception. St. John has it from the beginning of time! There is a "progression" of understanding which is chronological as well. The teaching of the Church did not become concretized till the 5th century (Council of Chalcedon). The event of the Annunciation is at least a stage in the process of God's plan. God became human in the person of Jesus Christ at a given point in human history at a given place in a given woman's womb. Although we celebrate Christmas in December, it seems to me that the Annunciation offers us a chance to at least take time off from Lent and celebrate this most important manifestation of God's love. We believe that all human life is sacred from the moment of conception. Today we celebrate the most sacred of all human lives! AMEN
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