Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Wednesday 3rd Week of Advent
December 20, 2006
Wednesday 3rd Week of Advent - Yr II
ISAIAH 7:10-14
Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, "Ask the LORD your God for a sign,
whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." But Ahaz
said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." Then
Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the
patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
LUKE 1:26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in
Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a
descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her
and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with
you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of
greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid,
Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give
birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will
give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the
house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this
be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High
will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son
of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her
old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For
nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary
answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
REFLECTION
The armies of Damascus and Israel were threatening to attack Judah.
Judah's King Ahaz intended to make an alliance with the King of
powerful Assyria. Assyria would then defend Judah. Isaiah tried to
convince Ahaz to entrust the defense of Judah to no nation whatsoever,
but only to Yahweh, the God of Judah. Through Isaiah Yahweh gave Ahaz a
sign that if Ahaz puts all his trust in Yahweh, if he does not form an
alliance with another nation, the throne of Judah will not go vacant.
The sign referred most likely to the birth of Ahaz' son a few years
later.
Christian tradition, however, has from the beginning interpreted this
passage as Messianic, as foretelling the birth of Jesus. Isaiah
pronounced his prophecy of the Messiah's birth some 700 years before
its fulfillment in Jesus. Before Isaiah, the world waited for many
centuries, eagerly expecting its redemption. It would wait another
seven long centuries until that moment in history at which surely the
entire universe would stand motionless, in hushed silence, awaiting the
virgin's response to Gabriel.
"I am the handmaid of the Lord," Mary says in today's Gospel,
"let what you have said be done to me." With her words Mary freed
God to implement his saving plan. In her womb, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, the Son of God becomes human, in order that he might make us
his brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of God, his Father. During
Advent we continue to wait in hushed silence, now no longer for
Mary's "yes," but for the fruit of her "yes," the birth of
her child, our Savior.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the speedy recovery and healing of Myra.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Wedding Anniversary: Teresa & Johnny Ng
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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