20260325 THE PERFECT SACRIFICE OF LOVE
5 March 2026, Wednesday, 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.
THE PERFECT SACRIFICE OF LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [IS 7:10-14,8-10; PS 40:7-11; HEB 10:4-10; LK 1:26-38]
The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord falls each year between the Lenten and Easter seasons. At first thought, it might seem rather inappropriate to celebrate this solemnity within the Lenten season. Yet, this feast that we are celebrating is intimately linked with the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is because both the feast of the Annunciation and those of the passion and death of the Lord celebrate the sacrificial offering of God.
Indeed, the feast of the Annunciation celebrates that moment when the second person of the Trinity–who was eternally with the Father before the creation of the world–took human flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The moment Mary consented to God’s will, God the Son became man in Jesus Christ. For Jesus, it was an act of self-emptying. As the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians says, Christ Jesus, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:6-8) Indeed, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, for twice He emptied Himself: first of His divinity, and then of His humanity on the cross by His death. By so doing, Jesus fulfilled the will of His Father, for His “will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.”
Why was it necessary for Jesus to assume our human nature unto death? He assumed our human nature so that He could save us by showing us the way to do the Father’s will as a human being. In assuming our humanity, He showed us what an authentic man truly is: a man who is without sin. We must never think that to be human is to have sin; that, in truth, is a fallen man, not a redeemed man. So Jesus shows us the way to live the life of a true human being–in love, humble service, and self-giving. In assuming our humanity, having been tempted like us and having suffered emotionally and physically like us, He qualifies as the compassionate high priest to intercede for us at the throne of mercy, for He too understands our struggles against sin. As our advocate before the Father, He intercedes for our forgiveness, just as He did when He was on the cross, excusing and praying for the forgiveness of others.
But not only are we celebrating the perfect sacrifice of Christ; we are also celebrating the perfect sacrifice of the love of the Father. For the Father to give Himself in His Son was also an act of perfect self-emptying. The Father did not reserve the Son to Himself but gave Him up for us all. St. Paul wrote, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” (Rom 8:32) Such was the generosity of God. Again, St. John wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16) Together with Jesus, the Father sacrificed Himself for the love of humanity. In both instances, it was an act of self-emptying.
The Scripture readings of today make it clear that the perfect sacrifice is to offer oneself to God. The Letter to the Hebrews says, “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, but you 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.'” God does not need our external sacrifices alone. The psalmist echoes this: “You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I.” All other sacrifices we offer are but an expression of the giving of oneself, yet they are often just a small part of what we have. Few of us are like the widow who gave all she had to the Temple treasury.
What we are called to imitate in today’s celebration is the total self-giving of God the Father in Christ Jesus. Mary is our perfect exemplar of what it means to give oneself totally to God in faith and trust. The sacrifice of God is matched by the sacrifice of Mary. God wants to give Himself completely to humanity by assuming our human flesh, but He requires our cooperation. Mary was asked to cooperate with God to bring forth the Saviour. In spite of her fears, anxieties, and the lack of clarity regarding her future, she said “yes” to God without hesitation: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me.” By so doing, she gave her body and soul to God in obedience to His divine will.
Doing God’s will is more than just saying a single “yes.” This first answer required Mary to conform to God’s will at every moment of her life. This is true of every vocation, whether it is marriage, priesthood, or a commitment we make to someone. Saying “yes” is not so difficult, but living out that “yes” at every moment of the day and year is daunting and challenging. To say that we offer ourselves to our spouse, the Church, or society is much easier said than done; it calls for a total and daily dying to self.
Saying “yes” is a lifelong commitment. Jesus reminds us, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 16:24-25) That is exactly what Mary did from the moment of the Annunciation. She gave herself to each moment that followed: from Joseph’s discovery of her pregnancy to the birth of Jesus; through His public ministry when He was misunderstood; and finally, to His death on the cross at Calvary. At every moment, Mary’s heart said, “Thy will be done.”
Today, we are called to follow Mary’s example by giving ourselves to the Lord by doing His holy will. The author of Hebrews reiterates this truth: “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.'” This means we must be ready to say “yes” to God in all we do. We must not be like King Ahaz, who insisted on doing things his way despite the warning of the prophet Isaiah. In his fear that his kingdom would fall to the combined forces of Israel and Syria, he made an alliance with Assyria. Even when offered a sign from God that it would not be so, he refused out of arrogance. Hence, the Lord said, “Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience with 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’.”
Doing His will is, of course, impossible without faith. We all face many challenges in life each day. Many of us are often at our wits’ end, trying to resolve financial woes, the incorrigible ways of loved ones at home, office politics, or scandals within our organisations. This is why we need faith to do the will of God. Mary shows us what true faith is all about; it was this faith that gave her the confidence to believe in the impossible. As the angel assured her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you 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 call barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.” Faith means allowing God’s grace to work within our lives.
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation, let us contemplate the obedience of Jesus and Mary to God’s will and their offering of themselves to the service of God and the plan of salvation. We can do this most effectively by reflecting on their lives, which are so deeply intertwined. There are two well-tested devotions in the Church have inspired lives and moved hearts toward union with the Lord and our Blessed Mother.
Firstly, we have the Stations of the Cross. This is a powerful devotion; as we contemplate His love for us on the Cross, our hearts are moved to love Him and our fellow human beings–especially our enemies–just as He did. The second devotion, of course, is the Holy Rosary. St. John Paul II even wrote an apostolic letter encouraging us to contemplate Christ alongside our Blessed Mother by praying the Rosary. To make the contemplation of their sacrifices complete, he wisely added the Luminous Mysteries.
Only by contemplating the face of our Lord and the life of Mary can we find the strength to offer ourselves completely to the Lord, doing His will at every moment in our lives. Therefore, together with Jesus and Mary–especially during this Lenten season–let us renew our commitment to the Heavenly Father: “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.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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