20250325 GIFT OF ONESELF IS THE GREATEST OF ALL GIFTS
25 March 2025, Tuesday, Annunciation of the Lord
First reading |
Isaiah 7:10-14,8:10 |
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 39(40):7-11 |
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead, here am I.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
In the scroll of the book it stands written
that I should do your will.
My God, I delight in your law
in the depth of my heart.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Your justice I have proclaimed
in the great assembly.
My lips I have not sealed;
you know it, O Lord.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
I have not hidden your justice in my heart
but declared your faithful help.
I have not hidden your love and your truth
from the great assembly.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Second reading | Hebrews 10:4-10 |
God's will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what Christ said, on coming into the world:
You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’
Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin,and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn1:14 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
The Word became flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
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.
GIFT OF ONESELF IS THE GREATEST OF ALL GIFTS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 7:10-14, 8-10; PS 40:7-11; HEB 10:4-10; LK 1:26-38]
What does it mean to celebrate the Feast of the Incarnation during this time of the year, especially when we are in the midst of the season of Lent? Chronologically, this feast is to prepare us for the feast of Christmas in nine months’ time since it takes about that period of time for the child to be born. At the same time, we are also preparing for the celebration of the Easter mysteries. What, then, is the rationale for the Church to celebrate this feast within the season of Lent or even of Easter?
In asking this question, we are also asking about the relationship between the Incarnation and the Passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. Right from the outset, clearly, we cannot speak about the redemption of Christ unless the incarnation has taken place. On the other hand, we can never know the reality of the incarnation unless Jesus died and rose from the dead. So, in the order of the economy of salvation, the incarnation precedes the passion. But in the order of knowledge, the passion and resurrection precede the incarnation. Of course, if we were to extend further into pre-creation, then the passion of the Father precedes both the incarnation and the historical passion of Christ and His resurrection.
Why is the incarnation so necessary for our salvation? Without the incarnation, God and man remain separated. This is because we are divided by nature. No man has ever seen God. So how can we be united with God? This union between God and man takes place in Christ Jesus. In truth, the real miracle that took place is not at Christmas but at the moment of the incarnation because it is unthinkable that God could assume human nature and human flesh since God and man are totally different. Christ is truly God and man. He is God and whilst assuming human nature and flesh, He remains as God and yet truly man. Indeed, the Christological doctrine of Christ who is one person, two natures help us to establish that this union is inseparable and yet distinct, unmixed and undivided. Both of them are held in tandem just like our body and soul, distinct and undivided. In Christ, therefore, we see God in person. To see Him is to see the Father.
Consequently, in Christ, we see God in person. The divinity of God is manifested in and through Christ in His humanity. Christ is truly one of us and yet without sin. He is also from God. Hence, we confess that He is truly God and truly man. Because He is man, He fulfilled the will of God using His human will. This gives us the confidence that we, although human beings, too can be like Jesus in doing God’s will. It is not beyond our grasp and capacity. Of course, we know it is not possible unless our human nature which is wounded is healed. Yet, the incarnation is important for us to know that this, indeed, is our calling. We are called to be like Christ, although human and yet doing the will of God. We are united with God and yet not become God ourselves. It is this wonderful mutual exchange between God and man that makes it possible for us to become “divine.” Hence, the Fathers of the Church could say that God became man so that man can become god. In Christ, man is deified and God is humanized.
How can we do the will of God as Jesus did? We need to share in His Spirit if we are to do the will of God. Without Christ, because of our sins and rebellion, we cannot be reconciled with God. Our nature is wounded by sin and therefore unable to perform its function. This is where the paschal mystery comes in. The death and resurrection of Christ takes away our sins and gives us new life in Christ. His death assures us that our sins are forgiven and inspires us to repent of our sins. His resurrection gives us new life as He pours forth His Spirit to us as He did to the disciples at Pentecost after His resurrection. Indeed, this was what the angel told Mary when she asked, “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.” It is the Holy Spirit that will heal us and give us the grace at baptism to be elevated to be the children of God. We become adopted sons and daughters of God in Christ, that is, we are God’s sons and daughters in a real sense but not divine like Christ, although sharing the fullness of life and love of God as Jesus did with His Father.
What does it mean for us who celebrate this feast of the Incarnation in view of the death and resurrection of the Lord? The truth is that God gave Jesus a body for Him to sacrifice Himself for others. The body was destined as a sacrifice for others. Christ emptied Himself twice; once of His divinity at the incarnation and then His body completely at His passion. Of course, the body is but the symbol of the offering of oneself. “Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and that is what Christ said, on coming into the world: You wanted no sacrifice or obligation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then you said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, “God here I am! I am coming to obey your will.”
We are called to offer ourselves as a gift to God and to others. The body is the window of the Spirit. We are called to give ourselves to the service of God and our fellowmen. This is what the readings are telling us. What delights God is not external gifts unless they are expressions of our interior being. What is even more pleasing to God is that we do His holy will so that we can be one with Him. It is the offering of one’s will. “Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will. You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I. In the scroll of the book it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart.”
So today, let us imitate God in giving up His only Son for our salvation at the cross. We imitate Jesus in emptying Himself of His divinity at the Incarnation and His humanity at the passion. Finally, we join Mary in giving up her only Son at the cross. When we surrender our will to God and offer our entire being for the love of God and our fellowmen, then truly we share in the life and love of God. In this way, we make God present in our world. And people could also say as of the child who was called the Emmanuel, God is with us. This was what the prophet said, “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’.” Let us become gifts of God to others by giving our entire self in love and service.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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