By Fr. Antony Christy, SDB –
We celebrate the feast of Annunciation much later this year (which should have been March 25th) today, because of the fact that the feast coincided with the Palm Sunday this year! The Church insists that we do not lose that occasion, however!
Thinking of the event we celebrate in this feast, I am reminded of something that even as a boy, I was always taken up. That subtitle in the prayer of the Angelus: GOD BEGINS!
God is not merely someone who responds… God begins, God initiates, intervenes at the right time even without an asking. That is why St. John proclaimed, we love God because God first loved us (1 Jn 4:19). The feast of Annunciation is a splendid manifestation of this nature of God, the nature of intervening at the appointed time.
We see three people involved here, in this event – in unison they give humanity a holistic life giving message.
The Angel: stands for Faith – a concrete sign of God’s relationship with us. Angels are God’s spokespersons, God’s messengers and God’s extensions which make present God to us. Our Faith is that God continues to live with us, even amidst all the worldliness that we are surrounded by.
Mary: stands for Hope – a concrete sign of Our relationship with God. Mary shines as a counter witness to the hopeless humanity today. Indifference and Individualism marks the humanity of today and Mary’s ‘yes’ is a revolution that spells hope to the world and to the entire humanity.
The Child: stands for Love – a concrete sign that God still loves the World. God has not given up on us and God will never do! A love that is ready to give totally of Itself (Rom 8:32). The Child that is promised is a sign of God’s everlasting and unconditional love that gives life and light to the otherwise darkness filled world today.
Yes, let us remember, God Begins… and we are to respond, respond as soon as possible and as wholeheartedly as possible!
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him on.