Exactly 9 months before the Solemn Feast of the Nativity of the Lord is the Solemn Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. It is the day to commemorate the annunciation of the Son of God the Most High being conceived, through the Holy Spirit, in the womb of Mary the Blessed Virgin, who is also announced to be the most favored one by God, meaning to be full of grace, thus, being the Immaculate Conception, as the Gospel Reading of this Solemnity (Luke 1:26-38) describes. Upon this, Mary became pregnant with the Son of God the Most High to take up the Davidic throne (Luke 1:32). And this is to affirm God’s message to David through Nathan that His Son shall reign the Davidic Kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:8-16).
The earthly Davidic house ended with the capture of Zedekiah
by the Babylonians in 586 BC (2 Kings 24:12-5:21). However, in the eyes of God,
this Kingdom did not go extinct, as the Annunciation of the Lord to Mary (Luke
1:32) indicates.
Mary was betrothed to Joseph, who is on the direct
Davidic lineage (Luke 1:27), and her betrothal to him was consummated (Matthew
1:18-25). And, Mary gave birth to the Son of God the Most High, also as Joseph’s
stepson (Luke 2:1-7). Thus, the Son, incarnated in and born of Mary, as named
Jesus, is Davidic.
The First Reading (Isaiah 7:10-14) reminds that what the Annunciation is about and its direct consequence, the virgin birth of the Son of the Most High, was foretold through Isaiah to Ahaz, who was a Davidic king, about 700 years before the Annunciation. It was in response to Ahaz’ obstinate defiance to God.
From the Second Reading (Hebrews 10:4-10), we know
that the Annunciation of the Lord, the Son of God the Most High (Luke 1:28-35)
marks the dawn of the New Covenant, which was established during the Lord’s
Supper through his blood (Luke 22:20; cf. Matthew 26:28).
The sins of people made their sacrificial offerings
displeasing to God under the Old Covenant (Psalm 50:8; Hosea 6:6; Psalm 51:16;
Psalm 40:6-8; Isaiah 1:11-31; Jeremiah 7:21–23; Hebrews 10:4-10). Because of
this, earthly Davidic kingdom destroyed by the Babylonia. And the Temple
rebuilt during the post-exilic period was permanently destroyed by the Romans
in 70 AD, thus losing the sacred place to offer sacrifices. This signaled the end
of the Old Covenant paradigm. However, under the New Covenant, which has been
brought by the Son of God the Most High, incarnated in Mary and born of her, as
the Annunciation (Luke 1:28-35; cf. John 1;1, 14; cf. Luke 2:7), the Temple has
been rebuilt by him (John 2:19). And this rebuilding the Temple is the Resurrection
of the Lord for us to be delivered and justified in the New Covenant (Romans
4:24-25).
Now, we see the Annunciation of the Lord not only as the dawn of the New Covenant but also as the dawn
of the Paschal Mystery. The sunrise of the Paschal Mystery is the Nativity of
the Lord. And its climax is the threefold glorification of the Lord: his Death,
Resurrection, and the Ascension. In fact, this spectrum of the Paschal Mystery
is reflected in the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, as the Annunciation of the
first Joyful Mysteries (from the Annunciation to the Nativity) , which is
followed by the Luminous Mysteries (the public ministry of the Lord) , the Sorrowful
Mysteries (the Passion and the Death of the Lord) , and Glorious Mysteries (from
the Resurrection of the Lord to his Ascension, and Mary’s Assumption and
heavenly Coronation of the Gebirah to Christ the King). And to mark this special occasion, all three beings of the Trinity are involved for the Father sending the Son through Mary's womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, to let the Paschal Mystery be revealed at the Son's virgin birth and through his public ministry and through his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, so that his Kingdom will come under the New Covenant.
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