Thursday, March 25, 2004
Annunciation

1st Reading: Is 7:10-14; 8:10
2nd Reading: Heb 10:4-10
Gospel: Lk 1:26-38 (Listen to MP3 - Annunciation)

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
The angel came to her and said, "Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you." Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean.

But the angel said, "Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever and his reign shall have no end."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be if I am a virgin?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child, and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible."

Then Mary said, "I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said." And the angel left her.

Commentary

WE are at the origin of the human existence of the Word of God. The Word became flesh in Mary's womb. In older times it was thought that the mother contributed nothing but accommodation to the child in her womb. Everything came from the father: the seed was a "homunculus", a tiny human being. Modern biology dispelled that belief. Biologically the parents' contributions are equal. In other respects of course the mother's contribution is total.

The Word came to Mary looking for far more than accommodation. He became flesh of her flesh. He was not human before he was conceived in her womb; he was not a divine "homunculus". He took flesh from Mary. That means: our flesh, human nature. Meister Eckhart said, "Whatever God the Father gave to his Only-Begotten Son in human nature, he gave all this to me." He means: to all of us. The Annunciation is not to Mary alone, but to you and me.

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