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Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14 / Luke 1:26-38
Reflection
King Ahaz faces a crisis. Enemies surround Jerusalem. Isaiah the prophet
tells him, "Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, make it as deep as the
netherworld or as high as the sky!" But Ahaz refuses: "I will not
ask! I will not tempt the LORD!" It sounds pious, but it's actually
faithless. Ahaz doesn't want a sign because a sign would require him to trust
God instead of his own political schemes. Isaiah responds with exasperation:
"Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? Therefore,
the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son
and shall name him Emmanuel." God with us. Even when we refuse to ask, God
gives. Even when we turn away, God is present. Seven centuries later, that prophecy
unfolds in a young girl's room in Nazareth. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary:
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." She's troubled,
wondering what this greeting means. Then Gabriel announces the impossible:
"You will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus."
Mary asks the only reasonable question: "How can this be, since I have no
relations with a man?" The angel explains: "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." And then
Mary speaks the words that change everything: "Behold, I am the handmaid
of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
The contrast between Ahaz and Mary is stunning. Ahaz refuses a sign
because he doesn't want to surrender control. Mary receives an impossible
announcement and surrenders completely. Ahaz says, "I will not ask", a
refusal wrapped in religious language. Mary says, "May it be done to
me", total trust wrapped in humble obedience. Today's O Antiphon is
"O Clavis David", O Key of David, who opens and no one can shut, who
shuts and no one can open. Jesus is that key, the one who opens the kingdom of
heaven, who unlocks the gates that sin had closed. And He comes through Mary's
yes. Her obedience becomes the door through which God enters the world. Isaiah prophesied
that a virgin would conceive. Gabriel announced it to Mary. And Mary believed
it. Five days until Christmas. Five days until Emmanuel, God with us, is born.
And it all hinges on one young woman's extraordinary faith. Gabriel tells her
about Elizabeth: "Your relative has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be
impossible for God." Mary has just heard Elizabeth's miracle. Now she's
being invited into her own. And she doesn't hesitate. She doesn't negotiate.
She simply says yes.
Here's what makes this moment so powerful: Mary didn't have theology
degrees or scriptural expertise. She was a young girl from a small town. But
when God came calling, she was ready. Not because she understood everything,
but because she trusted completely. "Behold, I am the handmaid of the
Lord." That word "behold" means "look" or
"see", she's presenting herself to God as available, open, ready. A
handmaid is a servant who waits for instructions and then acts. Mary doesn't
say, "Let me think about it." She doesn't say, "Can I get back
to you?" She says, "I am ready. Do with me what You will." And
the Word becomes flesh. The Key of David unlocks salvation. Emmanuel begins His
journey to us. We're five days away from celebrating the birth, but today we
celebrate the yes that made the birth possible. Ahaz refused God's sign and
lost everything. Mary accepted God's word and received everything. The question
for us, five days before Christmas, is simple: Are we more like Ahaz or Mary?
Do we refuse God's invitation because it threatens our control? Or do we say
yes even when we don't understand everything? The virgin conceived. Emmanuel is
coming. And it all started with one word: yes.
Franciscan Reflection
Francis heard God say, "Rebuild my church," and he said yes
before he understood what it meant. He thought God meant the literal church of
San Damiano, so he started carrying stones. Later he realized God meant the
universal Church, so he kept saying yes to whatever came next. Francis lived
Mary's fiat, her "let it be done", every single day. When God asked
him to kiss the leper, Francis said yes. When God asked him to embrace poverty,
Francis said yes. When God asked him to preach even though he wasn't educated,
Francis said yes. He didn't wait to understand everything. He just kept saying,
"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord." That's the Franciscan way:
radical availability to whatever God asks. Mary's yes led to Jesus. Francis's
yes led to a movement that transformed the Church. What might your yes lead to?
Don't wait to understand everything. Just say it: "May it be done to me
according to your word."
For Your Reflection
Take your time. No hurry, no rush.
About Ahaz's Refusal:
- Ahaz refused a sign because he
didn't want to surrender control. Where are you refusing God's invitation
because it threatens your plans?
- Sometimes religious language
hides faithlessness. Where might you be using piety as an excuse for
disobedience?
- God gave the sign anyway; Emmanuel
came despite Ahaz's refusal. What has God done for you despite your
resistance?
About Mary's Yes:
- "Behold, I am the handmaid
of the Lord." When have you presented yourself to God as completely
available?
- Mary said yes before she
understood how it would all work. What is God asking you to say yes to
even though you don't have all the answers?
- Mary's yes changed human history.
What might your yes change in your life? In others' lives?
About O Clavis David (O Key of David):
- Jesus is the key who opens what
sin closed. What door in your life needs Jesus to unlock?
- Mary's obedience became the door
through which God entered the world. How can your obedience create space
for God to work?
- The key of David opens, and no
one can shut. What has Jesus opened for you that you thought was closed
forever?
About Emmanuel:
- "God with us" was
Isaiah's prophecy and Mary's reality. Where do you need Emmanuel, God with
you, today?
- We're five days from Christmas.
Is your heart ready to receive Emmanuel?
- Gabriel said, "nothing will
be impossible for God." What "impossible" situation needs
God's intervention?
Praying the Joyful Mysteries
As you pray the rosary today, see Mary's yes unfold:
The Annunciation - "May it be done to me according to your word." The yes that
changes everything.
The Visitation - Mary brings Jesus to Elizabeth. Her yes immediately becomes service.
The Nativity - The yes bears fruit. Emmanuel is born. God with us.
The Presentation - Mary presents Jesus in the temple. She keeps saying yes even when
Simeon prophesies a sword will pierce her heart.
Finding in the Temple - "Did you not know I must be about my Father's business?"
Mary learns to let her yes grow and change.
The Joyful Mysteries show us Mary's yes from beginning to unfolding. It's
not one yes. It's a life of saying yes. Christmas is five days away because
Mary said yes nine months ago in this Gospel story. Will you say yes today?
A Quiet Challenge
This week, practice Mary's availability. Every morning, pray our Lady’s
words: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me
according to your word."
Then watch for what God asks of you that day. It might be small patience
with a difficult person, generosity with your time, and forgiveness you've been
withholding. It might be large, a major life decision, a sacrifice that costs
you, a step of faith into the unknown.
Whatever it is, say yes. Like Mary. Without negotiating. Without
demanding to understand everything first. Just: "May it be done to me
according to your word."
The Key of David is waiting to unlock something in your life. Your yes
opens the door.
Closing
Pray this with Mary's heart:
"Lord Jesus, O Key of David, You who open and no one can shut, who
shut and no one can open, come and unlock my heart. I confess I am often like
Ahaz, refusing Your signs because I want to maintain control, hiding my
faithlessness behind religious words. Forgive me. Give me Mary's heart, ready,
available, trusting even in the impossible. Holy Spirit, overshadow me as You
overshadowed Mary. Make me a dwelling place for Jesus. I say with Mary: Behold,
I am Your servant. May it be done to me according to Your word. I don't
understand everything. I don't have all the answers. But I trust You. Emmanuel,
God with us, come. Five days until we celebrate Your birth. But today I
celebrate Mary's yes. And today I say my own yes. Whatever You ask. However,
You lead. Whenever You call. Yes, Lord. Yes. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
Then ask:
- Am I more like Ahaz (refusing) or
Mary (surrendering)?
- What is God asking me to say yes
to that I've been avoiding?
- Do I trust that nothing is
impossible with God?
Five days until Christmas. Emmanuel is coming. The virgin is conceiving.
The Key is turning. The door is opening.
Will you say yes? Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Say it. Mean it.
Live it.
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
December 20, 2025
A Franciscan Reflection
©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
