Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

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Tuesday, 25 March 2025 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we mark the great occasion of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the moment when we celebrate the time that the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and King, Our God and Lord of all the Universe, was incarnate in the flesh, and was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, His mother. This must not be confused with the moment of the Lord’s birth into this world, His Nativity, which we celebrate at Christmas, exactly nine months from today. And it is precisely because today is nine months away from Christmas and it marks the beginning of the Lord’s nine months period spent in the womb of His mother Mary, that we celebrate this Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

On this day, the Lord sent one of His great Archangels, the Archangel Gabriel to proclaim the Good News long awaited by His people, who have long awaited the fulfilment of God’s promise of salvation, the sending of the deliverance and Saviour, which had been given to us through this Incarnation of the Son of God, Who embraced our human nature and existence, becoming Man and therefore manifesting perfectly the love of God, which had thus been made tangible, real and approachable to us. No longer God is merely a concept or myth, or a Being far removed from us by His Almighty transcendence. Yes, God remains all-powerful and transcendent, far beyond us in might and glory, infinite in majesty and power, but at the same time, by the mystery of His Incarnation, God has made Himself close to us, approachable and real.

The Annunciation of the Lord marks this moment when the long awaited Hope and Salvation of the world has finally come into a reality, and the Light of Hope is restored to the world, long slumbering in darkness, and what is significant is that the Lord chose not to come in glory and majesty, or as a conquering and mighty King, but instead, He chose to be incarnate and born of a humble, unknown Virgin, Mary, who was merely a peasant girl in the totally unimportant and small town or even village of Nazareth, at the fringe of the Jewish world at that time. Yet, from what we have heard in the accounts of the Annunciation today, we are reminded of exactly why the Lord chose to do this, to bring about our salvation.

The Lord chose to become one of us because it is by this action that He can undo the harm and damage which our ancestors had done in disobeying God, in embracing the falsehoods and lies of Satan. By His coming into this world, He would unite us all mankind through His own humanity, and show to us the ultimate love and compassion through His Son, Who would lay down His life for our sake, freeing us from the domination and tyranny of sin. By His perfect obedience, Christ as the Son of Man would bear the many burdens of our sins, our trespasses and mistakes, which He bore on His Cross, and through this perfect obedience and ultimate sacrifice of love, He made for us a New and Eternal Covenant between God and us, giving us the sure path to eternal life through Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to journey through this time and season of Lent, we are all reminded of why we observe this penitential season of Lent in the first place. We are preparing ourselves to celebrate the most important events in the story of our salvation, which the Lord had made possible through the Incarnation of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour, into this world. Therefore today, as we all remember the moment of His Incarnation at this Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, we should remember the great love and compassion which God has manifested before us all in His Son, and be filled with the same love towards Him just as He has shown us all first. We should be grateful that the Lord has been so patient in loving us all despite all of our faults and transgressions so far.

By offering Himself willingly and selflessly for us, just as the second reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews had highlighted, the Lord by His enduring love for us has fashioned for us the means of our salvation, to purify and sanctify us all by His grace, cleansing us all from the corruptions of our innumerable sins. And by this most wonderful and generous love of God, we have been healed and made whole once again, shown the compassionate and most loving Heart of God, full of love for us as always. Therefore, we too should be filled with love and devotion towards Him, and do our very best during this time and season of Lent to seek His forgiveness and mercy, and strive to distance ourselves from all sorts of corruptions, evils and sins that can lead us all further away from God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we should also look upon the great example of faith and obedience which Mary, the Mother of Our Lord and Saviour, the Mother of God, has shown each and every one of us. Despite her uncertainties and her inexperience, Mary chose to entrust herself to the Lord and His plans, devoting herself thoroughly to the mission which has been entrusted to her through the words of the Archangel Gabriel. Mary is our perfect role model and example, and just as Christ her Son is the New Adam that led us all by His perfect obedience to His heavenly Father, thus Mary, as the New Eve also directs us all towards her Son, towards the salvation that He has generously offered to each and every one of us. We should follow Mary’s examples in our own lives, in each and every moments.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment to the Lord this Lent, and strive to do our best in living our daily lives as good and faithful Christians in all the things we say and do. Through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, let us all continue to draw closer to the Lord and devote our time and attention to Him, so that by each and every moments of our lives, by our every actions, ever devoted to Him, we may draw ever closer to Him and His grace, and be truly worthy to receive the pardon and forgiveness for our many mistakes and faults. Through our humility and obedience, which we should deepen ever more during this time and season of Lent, we should follow the examples of Christ Himself and His blessed Mother Mary, our own beloved Mother so that we may continue to humble ourselves before God, sinners in need of God’s mercy and healing.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to show us all His love, and help us in this journey of life, as we come ever closer to His Presence this Lent. May He welcome us back through His generous mercy and compassion, forgiving us our sins when we come to Him with truly humble and contrite hearts. May God bless us all, and bless our Lenten journey and observances. Amen.

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Tuesday, 25 March 2025 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 26-38

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The Angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the Angel left her.

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Tuesday, 25 March 2025 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Hebrews 10 : 4-10

And never will the blood of bulls and goats take away these sins. This is why on entering the world, Christ says : You did not desire sacrifice and offering; You were not pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said : “Here I am. It was written of Me in the scroll. I will do Your will, o God.”

First He says : “Sacrifice, offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire nor were You pleased with them – although they were required by the Law. Then He says : Here I am to do Your will. This is enough to nullify the first will and establish the new. Now, by this will of God, we are sanctified once and for all by the sacrifice of the Body of Christ Jesus.

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Tuesday, 25 March 2025 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 39 : 7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

Sacrifice and oblation You did not desire; this You had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering You do not require. Then I said, “Here I come!”

“As the scroll says of me. To do Your will is my delight, o God, for Your law is within my heart.”

In the great assembly I have proclaimed Your saving help. My lips, o Lord, I did not seal – You know that very well.

I have not locked up in my heart Your saving help, but have spoken about it – Your deliverance and Your faithfulness; I have made no secret of Your truth and of Your kindness in the great assembly.

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Tuesday, 25 March 2025 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 7 : 10-14 and Isaiah 8 : 10

Once again YHVH addressed Ahaz, “Ask for a sign from YHVH your God, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.”

But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask, I will not put YHVH to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people, that you also try the patience of my God? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign : The Virgin is with Child and bears a Son and calls His Name Immanuel.”

“Devise a plan and it will be thwarted, make a resolve and it will not stand, for God-is-with-us.”

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Monday, 8 April 2024 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today marks the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, marking the important moment when the Archangel Gabriel came from the Lord to Mary, who was to be the Mother of God, through her motherhood of the One Whom God had sent into this world to save all of us, that is His own Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, the Son of God and the Divine Word of God. This important event marked by today’s Solemnity happened exactly nine months before Christmas, which showed that this was the moment when the Lord, Our Saviour was conceived in the womb of Mary, His Mother.

Usually this Solemnity is celebrated each year on the twenty-fifth day of March, but as that date fell on the Monday of Holy Week earlier on, and the commemorations of both the Holy Week and the Easter Octave take priority over all other Solemnities and Feasts, therefore, this celebration of the Annunciation of the Lord is postponed this year to this day, the day after the Second Sunday of Easter, the Octave Day of Easter. Nonetheless, despite this change of dates, it does not diminish the importance of the event that we commemorate, as linking to what we are celebrating this Easter, it was all made possible by the acceptance of Mary of her crucial role in being the Mother of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The Annunciation of the Lord marks the moment when Mary received the Good News from the Archangel Gabriel, proclaiming to her the long awaited coming of God’s salvation to all mankind, that He would send into this world His own beloved and begotten Son, the Divine Word of God, Who would become incarnate in the flesh, becoming the Son of Man, through the role and intercession of Mary herself. This pivotal event is truly important because by her acceptance of the role entrusted to her by God through the Archangel Gabriel, Mary had made possible what seemed to be impossible, that God Himself would come in our form and nature of humanity, incarnate in this world, showing to us the perfection of His love manifested in all of His glory and yet made approachable to us.

As we compare the attitudes of King Ahaz of Judah and Mary, the Mother of God as highlighted in our Scripture readings today, we can clearly see the difference in their attitudes and response to the revelation of God which they received through the prophet Isaiah and the Archangel Gabriel respectively. While King Ahaz of Judah refused to believe in the Lord and did not trust or have genuine faith in Him, Mary submitted humbly and despite her uncertainties, she did not doubt the Lord’s providence and plans for her. Contextually, we must also understand that King Ahaz of Judah was counted among those many kings of Judah who were not faithful to God, in the way that they did not worship the Lord faithfully and led the people into sin by allowing or even promoting the worship of pagan gods and false idols.

When the prophet Isaiah asked the king for a sign, the king said that he would not ask or put the Lord to the test. Some might consider or perceive this as an act of humility, but if we understood his background and other actions, we will quickly realise that he was being a hypocrite in his action and response to God’s instructions. Through his failure to do what he had been expected to do in his own reign as king, he had tested the Lord many times and brought great misery and sufferings on God’s people because of his disobedience and wickedness. He did not refuse to ask of the Lord of any sign or wonders because he was humble, but rather because he did not truly believe in the Lord or did not want to bother with the matters pertaining to God, or that he did not trust that the Lord would actually do as He had said He would do.

On the contrary, Mary who was then just a young maiden, a young virgin who was still really young in age, chose to trust in the Lord wholeheartedly, and while she naturally was apprehensive given the breadth and scope of the mission and the responsibilities entrusted to her, to be the Mother of the Son of God Himself, and to be pregnant, bearing a Child when she was not even married yet, while she had already been betrothed to St. Joseph, her husband-to-be, but she still ultimately trusted the Lord with the words, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to Your will.’ Mary embraced the Lord, His words and promises, His will and His desire for her to do as she had been entrusted to do, and hence, through her resounding and firm ‘Yes’ to the Lord, the work of God’s salvation has been made evident in this world, showing unto all of us the perfect example of obedience and faith.

God has given us all the free will and the freedom to choose our course of action in this life we have been given. Unfortunately, our ancestors beginning with Eve chose to disobey the Lord, listening to the lies and wickedness of Satan instead, and we allowed ourselves to be swayed by worldly temptations and glory, by the allure of pride and glory which had twisted our perception of the world, our existence and relationship with God. This is why we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by these temptations, or listen to the falsehoods and the lies of the devil, who had done in his every opportunities and capabilities to try to mislead us down the path towards our downfall. Instead, we should follow the good examples and inspiration set for us by Mary and her Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Who as the New Eve and the New Adam, had undone the damage and the corruption done unto us by the original Eve and Adam.

That is why, on this great Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, we remember the role that Mary, the Mother of God, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has answered God’s call and mission with faithful and firm dedication, entrusting herself completely and wholly to the Lord. Her Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, has also shown perfect and complete obedience to the will of His Heavenly Father, embracing His Cross, bearing willingly all the weight and burdens of our many and innumerable sins, wickedness and evils, so that through Him, His obedience and love for all of us. by dying on the Cross for us at Calvary, we may receive the hope of salvation and eternal life, liberation and freedom from the tyranny and bondage of sin, from the power of death and destruction, which He has done through His glorious and triumphant Resurrection from the dead.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we celebrate this day with great joy, marking the moment when the Salvation of God entered into this world and become incarnate in the womb of Mary, the Mother of God, let us all recall the salvation which Our Risen Lord has brought unto us, and which we rejoice and celebrate this season and time of Easter. Let us all follow the faith and dedication of Mary, His Mother, and strive to do the will of God at all times. May the Risen Lord be with us all, and may He guide us all in our journey of faith. May His Blessed Mother continue to pray and intercede for us, at all times. Amen.

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Monday, 8 April 2024 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 26-38

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The Angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the Angel left her.

by

Monday, 8 April 2024 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Hebrews 10 : 4-10

And never will the blood of bulls and goats take away these sins. This is why on entering the world, Christ says : You did not desire sacrifice and offering; You were not pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said : “Here I am. It was written of Me in the scroll. I will do Your will, o God.”

First He says : “Sacrifice, offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire nor were You pleased with them – although they were required by the Law. Then He says : Here I am to do Your will. This is enough to nullify the first will and establish the new. Now, by this will of God, we are sanctified once and for all by the sacrifice of the Body of Christ Jesus.

by

Monday, 8 April 2024 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 39 : 7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

Sacrifice and oblation You did not desire; this You had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering You do not require. Then I said, “Here I come!”

“As the scroll says of me. To do Your will is my delight, o God, for Your law is within my heart.”

In the great assembly I have proclaimed Your saving help. My lips, o Lord, I did not seal – You know that very well.

I have not locked up in my heart Your saving help, but have spoken about it – Your deliverance and Your faithfulness; I have made no secret of Your truth and of Your kindness in the great assembly.

by

Monday, 8 April 2024 : Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 7 : 10-14 and Isaiah 8 : 10

Once again YHVH addressed Ahaz, “Ask for a sign from YHVH your God, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.”

But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask, I will not put YHVH to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people, that you also try the patience of my God? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign : The Virgin is with Child and bears a Son and calls His Name Immanuel.”

“Devise a plan and it will be thwarted, make a resolve and it will not stand, for God-is-with-us.”