In the first reading for mass today, God must have thought very highly of Ahaz, because he offered to perform a sign of great magnitude for him that was as high as the sky and as deep as the netherworld. Ahaz wouldn’t hear of it though. He would not ask God for anything, even if God Himself offered to perform a great sign for him. Maybe this is one of the reasons that Ahaz found favor with God. It sounds like Ahaz just loved God for Himself and didn’t want anything from Him.
It isn’t by coincidence that the prophet Isaiah spoke of Ahaz at the same time that he gave the prophecy of the sign that God would give the world: “the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means God is with us!” The virgin is of course the Virgin Mary and the child is baby Jesus.
It is worth noting that neither Ahaz nor the virgin Mary were concerned about asking God for anything, they simply lived lives that were pleasing to God without expecting anything in return. They both found favor with God because they were not focused on their own wants, and they didn’t expect any special favors from him.
This is something for us to think about in our spiritual lives as well. A lot of us spend too much of our prayer time asking God for things, rather than simply being in His presence and listening to Him.
A lot of people also pray asking God for a sign, to show them a sign on which way they are to go, what decision they should make. It would be far better for us to simply spend time with God and listen to what He has to say to us. Sometimes we can’t quit talking long enough to let God have a word in edgewise during our prayers.
The prophet Isaiah didn’t inject his own opinions into the words that he spoke to God’s people. Isaiah was simply God’s messenger and he only spoke the words God wanted His people to hear. The angel Gabriel was also a messenger sent by God who only spoke the words that God wanted to communicate to Mary. God’s word would become flesh if Mary agreed. She did and the rest is history. She replied to the angel “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then, the Word became flesh. Jesus Christ would one day pray in the garden to his father too, “Father, if it be Thy will, take this cup away from me; yet not my will but Thine be done.”
A lesson we could take from the example of these holy men and women in today’s readings for mass, is first of all to listen to what God’s will is in any given situation. That is so hard to do, because we want to do all the talking. Some of us are not very good listeners when we are around other people, let alone listening to God in prayer or for the Holy Spirit to speak to us during our day. We are too busy thinking about what else we need to be doing. But, Ahaz, the prophet Isaiah, Jesus and Mary subdued their own thoughts long enough to hear what God wanted to say to them, rather than what they wanted to say to God.
Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. We would not be celebrating this solemnity today without these holy men and women who put aside their own thoughts, personal opinions and desires long enough to listen to what God had to say to them. Maybe we should think about following their example, by setting aside a little time for quiet prayer and contemplation. We could try to be a little more aware of God’s presence when we pray, and not do all the talking. God may have something to say to us too!
Daily Mass Readings:
Isaiah 7: 10-14, 8: 10 / Psalm 40: 7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11 / Hebrews 10: 4-10 / Luke 1: 26-38
