But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
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.
In Australia I learned of a eucalyptus tree that bears a very hard-shelled nut. It suffers no harm when it falls to the ground; it does not germinate even when the rains come, as they rarely do. The shell must be broken by a forest fire, and then it will germinate if and when the rains come.
King Ahaz was such a character. Hard shelled, he could not simply accept the prophet's invitation to, "Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God...." He had to oppose the Lord, standing in the way of mercy for himself and the nation.
And so Isaiah slammed him with a prophecy too good to be true, "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son...." If it seemed to the wise absurd and unimaginable, it is nonetheless wisdom in God's plan.
Today we hear the Gospel of the Annunciation; we live again that critical moment when the young woman of Nazareth accepted, immediately and without hesitation, God's plan for her. Once again we recognize her fright at the sight of an angel. She knows enough of legends and symbols to know already that her life will never be the same. If the child-woman had some ideas about her future with Joseph of Bethlehem, marriage and children, neighbors, family and the endless toil of poor women, everything was suddenly upended.
But this extraordinary woman had been prepared since birth to leap into graceful opportunities. Her assent would never be an adolescent whatever, a passive aggressive, foot-dragging resistance. Learning that her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth was pregnant, she immediately set out to see the miracle.
In SARRTP, (Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program) I meet Veterans who sit in on the discussions, listen to stories about sickness and recovery, and return to their routines four weeks later. They say as little as possible, supposing that "I am not the kind who speaks in groups." Invited directly to, "Tell me a story!" they cannot remember any, and are unwilling to do the work of remembering. They were, however, when under the influence, confident and outspoken; even obnoxious and obstreperous.
Someone -- the director, counselor, nurse, or chaplain -- has to inform them, "It doesn't work that way." If you will not push yourself into uncomfortable situations, if you will not summon the courage to remember, speak, volunteer, and act differently than you have ever acted before, you will return to your sickness. You will never recover.
Ahaz would not ask. He assumed a posture of fake piety and said, "I will not tempt the Lord." Mary stood up and declared her readiness to follow the Lord wherever he would lead. Opening the door to her own salvation, she invites the nations to come with her.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.