FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD --(OUR PARISH FEAST)

When the Divine Plan Meets a Perfect Human Yes

How blessed we are as a parish to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation as our feast day! United with the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray that we may see in this mystery a manifestation of God’s faithful promises and an invitation to continue saying YES to Him and the promptings of His Spirit. Even though we are in Lent, we are allowed to celebrate in gratitude and joy the Event that brought about the whole Easter Festivities. So, at the end of the Mass at 7:30 pm, we are invited to the parish hall for light refreshments. Hope to see you there.

Here are a few reflections on this great feast of the Annunciation of the Lord.

On this feast, we contemplate two things: first, the faithfulness of our God to His promises, now fulfilled at the appointed time; and second, Mary’s YES to God’s plan, which we are called to imitate.

God's Eternal Faithfulness

The Annunciation was the long-awaited manifestation of God’s love and the fulfilment of His ancient promises, such as His covenant with David: “Of an offspring whose sovereignty and throne the Lord shall make secure forever” (2 Samuel 7). While this could initially be seen as referring to Solomon, its fuller meaning transcends him, as Solomon’s kingdom did not last forever. Thus, when the angel announces: “The Lord will give him the throne of his ancestor David… and his reign will have no end” (Luke 1:32-33), we recognize God fulfilling His ancient promises. Similarly, Isaiah prophesied: “The maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son, whom you shall call Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Through the lens of the Resurrection, we see that Jesus is indeed Emmanuel—God with us, abiding eternally through His Spirit.

The Great YES

Secondly, we contemplate Mary’s great YES, which made this possible. On this solemnity, we thank God for enabling Mary to accept His will, becoming an instrument for the fulfilment of His promise of salvation. We are also grateful to her for her courageous and sacrificial YES, which changed her life and plans entirely. We ask for the grace to remain faithful to God, even when our YES turns our plans upside down or challenges what we hold dear.

The Meeting

Today, we reflect on the meeting of God’s loving, salvific plan with a perfectly human response, an encounter often necessary for the extraordinary to happen. In Mary’s deliberate and free YES, the divine plan found its door, the body for its manifestation (Hebrews 10:5). However, her YES alone was not enough for the Annunciation’s fulfilment; divine power was required for the Word to take flesh in her. When Mary asked, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” the angel Gabriel responded: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:34-35).

At the Annunciation, God’s eternal plan met Mary’s perfect but sacrificial YES—and the impossible became possible (Luke 1:37). God took flesh and became human. In our faith journey, God’s plan constantly seeks our readiness and openness for its fulfilment. Like Mary, we may find saying yes easy at first, but true surrender means embracing God’s will, no matter the cost. As the New Eve, Mary collaborated with divine power to undo the disobedience of the first Eve, standing firm where humanity once fell.

The Invitations

We are called not just to devotion to Mary, but to the imitation of her life. The Christian journey is about saying yes to the Lord every moment. Will we learn from her to say yes to God’s plan, becoming channels of grace in the world? Or will we say no because of the cost?

We acknowledge that saying yes is not always easy. At times, we may feel confused and are tempted to betray ourselves, others, and God's eternal plan in our lives. Yet, it is in this surrender to God’s will that our vocation as His people flourishes.

Prayer

Therefore, we pray for the grace to know His will and the strength to say yes, even when the cost is high. We ask for the grace of perseverance, for in His will alone do we find true joy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Lady of the Annunciation----Pray for us. Amen | Happy Parish Feast!

Fr. Chinedu

Please note: Our Parish Lenten reflection and Stations of the Cross is Every Friday at 7 PM.