God Favors Obedience

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟕:𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟒

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟒𝟎: 𝟕-𝟏𝟏 “𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝; 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥.”

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐: 𝐇𝐞𝐛 𝟏𝟎:𝟒-𝟏𝟎

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐋𝐊 𝟏:𝟐𝟔-𝟑𝟖

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝.” (𝐯.𝟑𝟖) 

          The Gospel today gives us an insight on what obedience really is and we see such an example in Mary who is at the core of today’s gospel passage. To be able to fully grasp this story of the Annunciation we need to again go back in time and know the situation Mary was in when this happened for us to really appreciate the sterling character of our Blessed Mother.

         Mary was a young maiden who was betrothed to Joseph. A betrothal normally lasts for a year and is generally regarded as binding as if they are already married. Such betrothal can only be recalled or cancelled either by divorce or death of either one of the contracting parties. And if a man to whom a woman was betrothed dies, the woman is regarded as a widow.

         A young and an unmarried maiden who gets pregnant outside of marriage will invite disaster. And for Mary to tell her story of becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit also risked being considered crazy.

        You could just imagine Mary’s surprise when the angel Gabriel appeared and told her: “𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” Please note that the phrase: “𝑩𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏”  is not found in many Greek manuscripts but it is found in 𝐋𝐤 𝟏:𝟒𝟐.

        This was the predicament to which Mary was in when the angel further said: “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬” (𝐯.𝟑𝟏). Disbelief and wonderment must have filled Mary at that very moment, but the angel assured her “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮” (𝐯.𝟑𝟓).

         Mary’s response reveals her true character which was why she found favor with God. Her humility and honesty before God were unparalleled. Despite the risks of being ridiculed and the possibility of divorce, Mary’s response stood out and would be hailed from that time on till now as a primary model of obedience.

         Her subservience to the Will of God was not only unequalled but it became the avenue through which Salvation came into the world. The only thing she knew was she was being asked by God to serve him and she willingly obeyed.

         The hope and future of mankind rested on that simple phrase that Mary uttered: “𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝’𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝” (𝐯.𝟑𝟖). In that short response, Mary became the vessel through which Our Lord Jesus Christ will come into the world, but we should not also forget the sacrifice and humility of Joseph who took Mary as his spouse and who stood as guardian of the Savior of all humanity.  

         While Eve was referred to as the mother of humanity that was doomed to sin, Mary was regarded as the mother of the new Adam who will reverse the sinful nature of man by his Grace (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟓:𝟏𝟗).

        As the angel Gabriel instructed Mary and Joseph the child to be born was to named Jesus which is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua meaning “𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬.”

        This was also a fulfillment of God’s promise to David that his kingdom will last forever (𝟐 𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝟕:𝟏𝟔). And rightly so, for Jesus who came from the house of David (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟏) has reigned since then and continues to rule today in the hearts of men.

         Although the Virgin Birth has largely remained a mystery that many people find hard to believe, we should remember that Luke was a medical doctor and while it was hard for him to believe how a baby can be conceived in the case of Mary, he wrote about it based on the facts or interviews he made with witnesses and his own conversation with Mary.

         But the most important facet of this Virgin Birth is that there shouldn’t be any doubt in our minds that God has the power to create a child even in the womb of a virgin.

         What then is the message for us in this Gospel reading as well as the inference in the First Reading (𝐈𝐬𝐚 𝟕:𝟏𝟐) when Ahaz refused to seek God’s favor which was the exact opposite of Mary’s response. The readings invite us not only to seek God’s favor but for us to put all our trust in Our Lord.

          We should remember, however, that God’s favor doesn’t mean success or fame overnight because as with Mary being favored at times would lead to pain and ridicule. At times, being favored by God will bring hardships and difficulties but it is in these trying times when our faith is tested that God is present.

         And like Mary whose submission was an embodiment of the world’s greatest prayer: “𝐓𝐡𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞” (𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟔:𝟏𝟎), it is when we can say the same that God will pour out on us his manifold Graces that will allow us not only to endure our suffering but to experience joy amidst the pain and tribulations in our lives because anyone who will trust God like Mary will be filled with Grace.

         What we all must remember was that Mary withstood the predicament she was in because God favored her and blessed all the circumstances in her life. This simply means that God will also provide us the strength, endurance and perseverance to go through with our lives, but this is anchored on our saying “𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

         There are at least three things that will happen when we respond positively to the challenge when we are called to obey God. At times we will find it difficult to understand the call of God but obedience challenges us to go beyond just understanding and Jesus made this plain in 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝟓:𝟏𝟗 when he said that obeying God’s laws are more important than explaining it. If things are not going well in our lives perhaps it is time that we ask ourselves, how are we doing at obeying God’s Will.

         Obedience is also going beyond mere outward conformity. The Pharisees of old obeyed the Mosaic laws but they rejected the call of Jesus for a change in their attitude. The environment that the Pharisees were in was so different than the world we live in today and now all the tools that can help us fully understand the plan of God are available to us. Thus, it would be foolhardy, and we will only be inviting disaster if we will reject God’s offer of salvation.

         The third point is that obedience challenges us to respond to God in love. As with Mary who showed deep faith and love for God when she said: “…𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝” (𝐯.𝟑𝟖) we too are called to obey God even if we do not fully understand where God is leading us.

         Because of the influence of materialism in today’s post-modern world we are sometimes moved to equate comfort and security in terms of material possessions. I too was like that.

         In fact, I was earning much more before when I belonged to the so-called marginalized Catholics, but I was not happy. For some reason God found me 40 years ago and when I turned over my life to him, my faith was challenged by numerous trials. My brokerage business collapsed. I was forced to close my piggery farm that was incurring heavy losses. Surprisingly, I felt a sense of peace amidst all these, and I realized that God was there beside me every step of the way.

         In our profession of faith when we recite the Apostles’ Creed during the Eucharistic Celebration, we must not only understand what the Creed is, but we must comprehend the depth of what it is. In so doing, we must understand and believe when we say: “𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡; 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐧, 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝; 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭; 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲…”       

        The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed in the New Roman Missal will mean much more if we truly understand and believe what it says. And ask God for faith if anyone of you lack wisdom (𝐉𝐚𝐦 𝟏:𝟓).  (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 25, 2026)