Today, we take another break from Lent as we celebrate the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin Mary! Happy feast day to all of you!
In spite of the ongoing war in the Middle East, the undetermined casualties on human lives and the global energy crisis resulting from this horrible conflict, the Church pauses her penitential mood on this solemn feast day. For, it is but right and fitting that we should give thanks to God who has come down from heaven to intervene in human history as the all-powerful, all-merciful and peace-loving God that he is.
The Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of Nazareth is a hope-filled assurance of the nearness of Christmas. Nine months from now the world shall be celebrating the Nativity of the Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, the God-man, who has become one among us in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary to save us from all that is afflicting us, and to give us a glimmer of hope that all this crisis will soon come to an end.
But we have to keep in mind the immediate liturgical context of this feast within the Lenten season. We are in fact approaching Holy Week, and today Mary is precisely being exalted as a model for us to imitate in our Lenten journey towards Easter.
Come to think of it, Mary is just a very simple and ordinary woman, and yet she was amazing and outstanding in many ways – in her faith and religiosity, her fear of God and her selfless service to others. As a devout Jew, she prayed day and night, praising and thanking God for blessings received, offering sacrifices at the temple, serving those in need, and above all, she was attentively docile to God’s Word. In other words her beauty radiated inside and out, making her elegantly pretty and most pleasing in the eyes of both God and men.
The Blessed Virgin from Nazareth possessed all the characteristics that one can expect from a woman. She was endowed with a quadruple B. The B stands, not for bypass, but for beauty, brains, bravery and blessedness. In fact, of all the women in this world, she was the one and only one chosen to be the Virgin Mother of God. And yet she never did any bit of boasting or bragging about it. Far from being self-absorbed, her heart remained humble, and her mind stayed focused on fulfilling God’s will and plan, always bent on serving others and not herself. This is precisely the good news and challenge for us today.
Moreover, as soon as Mary received her mission as Mother of the Redeemer, she did not waste any moment of her time taking a “selfie” with the angel, Gabriel. She didn’t indulge in updating her status on social media and in changing her profile picture just to let everyone know that she was the highly favored one. On the contrary, she chose to remain the humble maidservant of the Lord unknown to her village neighbours as the Mother of the Messiah.
And immediately after giving her “yes” to the angel, Mary quickly left her home and took a long trip to Judea in order to be at the service of her cousin Elizabeth who was with child despite her old age. This selfless act of service following a divine “promotion” manifests clearly the radiant beauty of her heart and proves why she is the most beautiful woman on earth in the eyes of God.
Mary has indeed been highly charged with grace and positive energy, to obey promptly God’s will and to help others selflessly in every way. She remained prayerfully attentive to God’s Word, patient and ready to sacrifice herself, and generous in self-giving and in serving others. If you noticed these are actually the three elements that had been part and parcel of our Lenten program – prayer, penitence and almsgiving – in preparation for Easter.
We who are sinners are, therefore, encouraged to follow the footsteps and inspiring example of Mary the Mother of the Redeemer. We should not consider it a big problem if physically we are no longer pretty or good-looking as before, or if we are more frequently sick, aging so fast or suffering pain. What is important above all is that whatever happens in our life knowing that we are always filled with his loving grace, our mind and heart should always remain focused on God, obedient to his Word, and ready to help others.
Even sickness and old age should not really be an obstacle, especially when we know that we are not suffering alone, and that we can offer our pains and sufferings in union with Mary beneath the cross of Jesus. If we follow Mary’s example and adapt the positive attitude and virtues of her heart, we would definitely become the loveliest and best-looking man or woman in the eyes of God.
Therefore in this Holy Mass let us ask the Lord that, like Mary, we may strive to fulfil God’s will and plan in our life, and devote ourselves selflessly at the service of others especially those most in need. By doing so, we can surely become instrumental in bringing a definitive end to all conflicts, save humankind from massive destruction and establish lasting peace among all nations. GiGsss!
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