Faithful to His Promises

We have heard this Gospel passage of the Annunciation so many times.  We have heard it at Mass, as we just did, we have heard it at children’s Christmas shows, we have heard it at Lessons and Carols, and certainly we have all heard it and recited part of it every time we have prayed the Hail Mary.

We have admired beautiful works of art depicting this passage of Saint Luke.  We can recognize it immediately, the young woman, usually sitting down, and next to her the angel with wings.

We all know the story so well.

What is so captivating about this passage?  It has kept humanity captivated for 2,000 years.  We keep hearing the same story generation after generation, and we do not tire of hearing it.  What does the Annunciation reveal that makes it so captivating?

The archangel Gabriel not only told Mary that she would give birth to a child, but that this child would be the Son of the Most High and that God would give this child the throne of David his father, and that he would rule over the house of Jacob forever, and that his kingdom would never end.

The annunciation narrates the fulfillment of God’s promises.  In the words of Saint Paul, the annunciation is when the mystery kept secret for long ages is made manifest.  Heaven and earth intersect at the Annunciation and the course of history is changed forever.

The words of the angel reveal God’s faithfulness to His people.  These words reveal that God is ever faithful to His promises.  Mary may have asked how she would bear a child if she was not married, but I am certain that in her mind she was recalling the words from today’s first reading from the Book of Samuel.  They are words of God to King David:

“I will give you rest from all your enemies; I will raise up your heir after you, and I will make his kingdom firm.  I will be a father to him.  Your House and your kingdom shall endure forever before me: your throne shall stand firm forever.”

One thousand years before Christ, God made this promise to King David, the King of Israel.  He promised that one of his descendants would rule forever, that he would defeat all his enemies and that his kingdom would never end.  God promised that through David’s descendants He would take care of his chosen people.

Every history book however will explain that David ruled as a mighty king over many kingdoms, but that his descendants soon split the kingdom; the northern half was destroyed by the Assyrians three hundred years later, while the southern half was destroyed by the Babylonians five hundred years later.  Jerusalem the capital was burnt, its Temple destroyed, and its inhabitants deported to Babylon.
God had promised one thing, but now the kingdom of David was destroyed.  How would God take care of his people?  How would God remain faithful to his promise?  When would a descendent of David emerge to reclaim the throne promised by God?

At the time of Jesus, the Jews had waited five hundred years for the restoration of David’s kingdom.  They waited for a descendant of David who would reestablish the kingdom of David.  They waited for the “Son of David,” and the “Anointed One,” titles given to the kings of Israel.  Anointed in Hebrew is said “Messiah” and in Greek “Christ.”  The Jews waited for the Messiah, for the Christ, the descendant of David to rule over them.

The Annunciation not only announces the miraculous way by which the anointed one will come to the world, but more significant perhaps, it announces that God remains faithful to his promise.

Jesus Christ, the child born two thousand years ago, now risen from the dead and reigning from on high with all power and authority given to Him, is the descendant of David who sits on the throne of His father David.  All his enemies have been defeated, primarily sin and death, and his kingdom will never end, since He now risen, will never die again.

Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, fulfills God’s promise to David.  What seemed impossible to accomplish, to re-gather all of the tribes of Israel, occurs in the ministry of Jesus Christ who gathers not just the twelve tribes of Israel, but all of humanity and lifts it up to God.

God has kept His Word.  God is faithful to His promises.

As we complete this season of Advent, a time of waiting and preparing, we recall God’s faithfulness.  The Jews waited and prepared for the Messiah for five hundred years and we imitate them in our four week Advent wait for the Messiah.  They did not know when the Messiah would come; we have the joy of knowing He has already come.

Today we remember that God has been faithful to our fathers in the faith, and continues to be faithful to us by continually granting us his mercy and love.