Why are we celebrating the Solemnity of the Ascension today, April 8? Typically, this special day is celebrated on March 25, nine months before December 25. The only time that is interrupted is when March 25 comes on Palm Sunday, Holy Week, or during the Easter Octave. In that case, we celebrate this solemnity on the first Monday after the second Sunday of Easter. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program and our Gospel from Luke.

Gabriel, an arch-angel, a messenger of God, a spiritual being, interacts with a human being; though Mary is not the first one to experience such an encounter. There are personal encounters with God and his messengers throughout the Bible. This is how the God of Israel, the God of Jesus Christ acts, person to person, through invitation, either directly himself or indirectly through one of his angels.

We can read such encounters going back to Genesis. God invited Abraham to be the father of a people that God would call to be his own. This reality would come to be with the birth of Isaac, while Sarah was well past child-bearing years. Jacob would wrestle all night with an angel and become the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, during the time of the Judges the mother of Sampson and Hannah, the mother of Samuel, both barren women would encounter angels bearing the message that each would give birth to those who would grow to lead the people Israel in their time of need. Moses, the judges, David, and the prophets all would hear and answer God’s invitation. Zechariah had an encounter in the temple and his wife Elizabeth, also barren and older, would give birth to John the Baptist. God has communicated and reached out to his created beings in history, in time, and in specific places.

With Mary, this announcement and encounter was different, for, at this appointed time, the Son of God himself would become, while remaining fully divine, a human being in the womb of Mary. The God who is. Period. Full stop. He is not a being, not a human, or even a supreme being. Infinite Act of Existence, the Sheer Act of to Be, who took on flesh and dwelt among his created beings. This is the message that Mary receives, and we can understand why she might be “troubled”. Yet Mary, the model of discipleship, pondered what this might mean as Gabriel said to her:

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (Lk 1:30).

Mary, who knew the arc of salvation history, as briefly sketched above, knew of the encounters God had with his people, her ancestors. She knew of the promised Messiah who would be the bridge between heaven and earth, the old and the new covenant, between a people lost and a people found. Mary in her fiat, her saying yes, would bear the Messiah become Theotokos, the God-bearer.

This is why we celebrate this feast each year: The Son of God has been born to us because Mary said yes. Yet, her yes is not in isolation. It is made possible by so many who had gone before her. Joachim and Anna, Mary’s parents who provided care and guidance, as well as the many named above and not named throughout the Biblical tradition who said yes to God and played a part in making this moment possible. Mary is not alone in the Annunciation, not alone in this definitive moment. This is the distinctive feature of Judaism and Christianity: We cannot save ourselves. We are not God. Our very life as created beings is a gift from God and we are in need of constant help and support from God and one another (cf. Lohfink, 254).

God invites us, today as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation, as well as every day to ponder, to wonder, to be still, and to be in awe. The Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, loves us so much more than we can ever imagine no matter what. He was willing to be conceived in the womb of Mary to become one with us to save us. Us, you who are reading this at this moment, me who is writing this, and each unique person taking a breath on this earth.

No matter how much we have messed up, no matter how distant we may feel from him, no matter how confused, overwhelmed, disillusioned, Jesus is present for and with us. The question is not whether we are worthy, for none of us are, the question is, “Are we willing?”

Are we willing to play our unique part in the ongoing drama of salvation history? Mary’s answer to this invitation was: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). This is her definitive yes. The Holy Spirit helped Mary and will help us as we place our trust in him. What will our response be?
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Photo: Enjoying some time of pondering, praying, and surrendering on my Rosary walk, St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL. 

Lohfink, Gerhard. No Irrelevant Jesus: On Jesus and the Church Today. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2014.

Link for today’s readings for Wednesday, April 8, 2024