20231220 COOPERATING WITH GOD’S GRACE
20 December 2023, Wednesday
First reading | Isaiah 7:10-14 © |
The maiden is with child
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 Isaiah 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.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 23(24):1-6 © |
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Emmanuel,
our king and lawgiver,
come and save us,
Lord our God.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Key of David, who open the gates of the eternal kingdom,
come to liberate from prison
the captive who lives in darkness.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 1:26-38 © |
'I am the handmaid of the Lord'
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.
COOPERATING WITH GOD’S GRACE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 7:10-14; LUKE 1:26-38]
God has a plan for each of us and a dream for all of humanity. But He needs us to cooperate with Him in realizing this dream, both for ourselves and for the world. We will realize the dream of God for us to the extent that we cooperate with Him. Otherwise we destroy the dream that God has in store for us. The scripture readings provide us two characters, one who refused to cooperate with the plan of God, and the other who was completely docile to His will.
In the first instance, we have King Ahaz of Judah. His country was under attack by the alliance of the Northern Kingdom and Aram. As king, he was afraid of the invading enemies. So using his logic and ingenuity, he sought the help of Assyria. He bought them over with silver and gold taken from the Temple. (cf 2 Kg 16:8) Assyria was then a rising power. It was a logical avenue on the part of King Ahaz to protect himself from the combined armies of Israel and Aram. But the prophet Isaiah was sent by God to warn him about making such a move as it would spell more trouble for the country later. The prophet assured that Judah would not be attacked by Israel and Aram, that their plan to conquer them would not succeed. Hence, Judah should remain firm and not be too worried over their enemies or seek alliance with Assyria.
But King Ahaz had already made up his mind. He was over confident of his decision. He was too proud to listen to the Word of the Lord. He wanted things his way in spite of the assurance of the prophet Isaiah. He did not trust in God, only in himself. The Lord even offered him a sign. But he refused, pretending that he should not put the Lord to the test when the truth was that he did not want to change the course of his direction regardless. “Then Isaiah 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 Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’.” His plan was not God’s plan. But he did not want to hear the truth of this matter.
What were the consequences of his wilful decision against the advice of the Lord? As prophesied, Israel was destroyed by Assyria and the alliance with Aram broke up. Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell into the hands of the Assyrians in 722 B.C. Although the kingdom of Judah was spared the attack, their alliance with Assyria brought them more trouble. They became more vulnerable to them.
In contrast, we have the person of Mary, a young girl from a poor family. She also had her own plan. She was betrothed to Joseph of the House of David. Like all other women in her time, getting married, raising children and having a family was considered a great blessing. However, her plan was not God’s plan. Yet Mary, unlike King Ahaz, was humble. She was not proud. She was receptive to the plan of God even though that plan meant giving up her own plan for the Lord. And so the angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!”
God’s plan for her was not a logical plan. Hence, she responded by asking, “‘I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.'” To Mary, such an answer was certainly beyond any human understanding. It is unacceptable to human reasoning. Mary would have thought of the implications as Ahaz did. Who would believe her incredible story and claim? What would Joseph think of her? What if Joseph rejected her? She would be unmarried with a child! Worse still, if her parents rejected her, she would have no place to stay. What if they accused her of adultery? She could be stoned to death! We can be sure that all these considerations weighed on the mind of Mary.
Furthermore, what made Mary so sure that she qualified to be the mother of the Saviour? She was a poor and unknown young girl from Nazareth. The truth is that God can use anyone of us for His glory. The only requirement for God to make use of us mightily and powerfully for His work and glory is that we be obedient. So education, ability and status alone do not qualify us for God’s work. We should not limit the way God wants to use us for His service. Can we trust God enough that He could make the impossible dream a reality?
Indeed, she was obedient and receptive. Unlike Ahaz who rejected outright the will of God, Mary was not too proud to seek clarification. Unlike Ahaz who had made up his mind and refused any sign that the Lord wanted to give him, Mary asked for a sign. The angel said to her, “Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. For there is nothing that God cannot do.” Hearing the assurance of the angel, her response was decisive, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it happen to me as you have said.” Mary entrusted her life to God and allowed the Holy Spirit to work in her life and to lead her each day of this journey as the mother of our Lord.
Today, we are invited to do the same. We are called to cooperate with the plan of God for us in our lives. His will is not always ours. But unless we cooperate with His will, we will not find happiness in our lives. Like Ahaz, if we insist on being stubborn and choose to do what we want instead of what God wants, we will bring untold trouble for the rest of our lives. This is true especially in priestly and religious vocation discernment. If we are not called to the priestly and religious life and we force ourselves into it, we will become a misfit in the community. And time will tell because that priest or religious will give lots of trouble to the diocese and the people he serves. Instead of bringing people to God, he will bring them further away, drawing them to himself! But this is true for all vocations as well, whether it is our state of life, or in our profession.
Because Mary responded generously to the plan of God, God worked marvels through her. But saying “yes” to God does not mean that His plan would immediately unfold. Even after saying ‘yes’ to God, it takes time through faith to believe that God would fulfil His promise. Even in the case of Mary, the promise made to her was realized in stages. She first conceived our Lord, then step by step, God unfolded His plan. He spoke to Joseph to accept her as his wife. Later on, her son would be rejected by His own people, falsely accused and put to death on the cross. But Mary’s faith in the Lord was not just a one-off event at the annunciation; it was throughout her life, saying “yes” to the Lord at every stage of her life. She waited patiently for God to fulfil His plan for our salvation through her Son’s death and resurrection. Through Jesus, the descendant of David, salvation was realized. Through our patience in allowing God’s plan to unfold in us, God will use us as His instruments of salvation.
Let us also walk in faith as we respond to God’s call in our lives. If we want to be able to respond positively to the call of God, we must allow God to reign in our lives, like Mary. The angel greeted her, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!” She was always obedient to the Lord. The responsorial psalm sums up fittingly the disposition of Mary towards the reign of God. “Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory. Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things. He shall receive blessings from the Lord and reward from the God who saves him. Such are the men who seek him, seek the face of the God of Jacob.” To say “yes” to God is to allow Him to be the Lord of our lives.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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