Lord, help us to trust You as Mary did
4th Week of Advent (C) : Monday 20th December 2021
Is. 7:10-14; Ps. 23:1-2,3-4,5-6;
Lk. 1:26-38 (Ps Wk IV)
Isaiah confronted King Ahaz of Judea about the king’s decision to make an alliance with Assyria. Isaiah told Ahaz to trust only Yahweh and ask him for a sign, rather than an alliance with a foreign power.
Ahaz responded that he wouldn’t put the Lord to the test – which sounds pious, but Ahaz didn’t trust Yahweh. Isaiah told him of a sign – a son would be born to a young woman and would be called Immanuel. This young woman is unnamed, but later, Matthew cited this as a prophecy of Jesus’ virgin birth.
In Luke’s story of the Annunciation of Jesus’ birth, we see the beauty of Mary’s faith. Mary is a young woman, a virgin. How shocking must it have been for her to be approached by an angel telling her that she would bear a son?
How could it be? The Holy Spirit would look after everything. Once the angel said that nothing would be impossible with God, Mary pronounced her strong consent: “Let it be with me according to your word.”
Today we have two stories about trusting God – Ahaz did not; Mary made herself available and remarkably collaborated with God.
Lord, help us to trust You as Mary did.
homepage zähler Shalom hits from 1st December 2019