Usually in moments of great crisis, people run to loved ones or powerful acquaintances for succour. The great tragedy is that of having no one to run to, living with the sense of being abandoned. For many people, the greatest friend and powerful figure to run to for succour is God. The human being remains a homo religiosus (religious being), no matter how some try to deny the God factor. In normal circumstances, we feel God is there protecting us and fighting on our side.
To live in peace is to live with the consciousness of God’s protective presence. Living becomes very tragic when one feels the absence of God. The assurance of God’s presence and accompaniment has a tremendous effect in bringing one to success in everything. This is the great message of the Annunciation which we celebrate today. God moves with us and never abandons us, and with him nothing is impossible.
The Angel’s Message to Mary
The great greeting of the Angel to Mary is “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!” The sum of this greeting is God’s presence in the life of Mary. Being full of grace means enjoying God’s favour to the fullest, and this favour is unmerited. It is reinforced with the statement that God is with her. What the Angel is telling Mary in effect is that she is a powerful instrument in God’s hands. Great personalities in the past have been empowered with the assurance of God’s presence. Such assurance always set them on mission.
It happened to Moses when he felt radically unworthy to answer the call to mission until God assured him of the divine accompaniment. It also happened to Joshua, to Gideon, to Saul, to David, to Solomon, to the prophets. In the first reading of today from Isaiah 7, God assures King Ahaz of His presence among His people with the promised birth of the child who would be called Immanuel – God with us. With God’s promised presence, there is absolutely no cause for fear of menacing powers. It is this reassurance that the Angel brings to Mary as she receives the call to become the Mother of the Messiah. In Mary and through Mary, God is intervening in the scene of history to save suffering humanity and to bring to definitive fulfilment his abiding presence in our human story.
Assurance of God’s Presence in Our Lives
The message of the Annunciation is a message that God does not abandon His people and that with Him nothing remains impossible. It is a powerful message to us in our daily struggles with the ups and downs of life. In moments when we think we are alone we are encouraged that God is in our midst. In terrible moments when we think there is no more hope and we are drawn to despondency and depression, we are reassured not to give up because with God all is possible. It was this conviction that made Mary to bow finally to God’s will for her. In the same way, in any situation we find ourselves, we need to bow to God’s will and not to resist with stubborn wills that only destroy and scatter.
The assurance that God is with us empowers us to keep climbing to the heights and never to give up. It gives us the courage to be at the service of people with the conviction that we are on mission from God. It encourages us to keep creating a better and more livable society.
Thank for a great message.