In the first reading, King Ahaz is being offered something that he may not want: a military victory that comes not from fighting, but from patiently waiting. God commissioned the prophet Isaiah to give Ahaz an unexpected set of directions about a dangerous military threat; he tells Ahaz to sit tight and wait for God to act. He is told not to be afraid, and don’t do anything. But with a huge enemy army massing on his northern border, Ahaz is scared witless. All the intelligence and evidence tell him that the enemy attack will succeed, and that Jerusalem will fall. How can he sit idly by as his kingdom teeters on the edge of such a precipice?
When God tries to bolster his faith Ahaz refuses. But he does so in words that sound so very humble: “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord”. It’s more likely that this pious protest is really a cover for selfish stubbornness. Ahaz insists on going his own way and doing his own thing, ignoring the word from Isaiah and pursuing foreign alliances instead of trusting in God. This was a common failure of all the kings of Israel. By rejecting the offer of a sign, Ahaz is also rejecting God’s Will.
His response could hardly be more different from Our Lady’s acceptance of God’s Will. Mary is ready to trust and act on God’s every word. She exhibits no crippling fears, no stubborn selfish agenda, no false humility. When the angel reveals God’s plan to her, Mary has no thought of refusing. Rather, she wants to cooperate. Her puzzled question: “How can this be?” isn’t so much a protest, but a way of seeking guidance about how to proceed. And though Mary doesn’t ask for a sign, she immediately accepts the one the angel offers.
Few, if any of us, will face decisions as momentous as the ones Our Lady and Ahaz confronted. Or if we do, they will be very few and very far between. But at the same time, we do face less earth-shaking choices every day. How important it is to get into the habit of telling God: “Thy will be done”. Then, when we are faced with the bigger decisions, we will find it that much easier to trust God and obey Him, just as Our Lady did. May God bless all those who, like Our Lady, respond generously to God’s call to serve and minister to those in need.
Dum Tacet Clamat 