The Dawn of the Impossible

Voice over by Carol San San Lwin

Isa 7:10-14; Psalm: 23; Lk 1:26-38

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, in the deep twilight of Advent, the Church presents us with two moments of divine interruption. To a frightened king and to a humble virgin, God breaks in, not with general consolation, but with a specific, staggering promise. These scriptures reveal that when humanity is at an impasse, God’s answer is not a mere solution, but a Person.

The Prophet Isaiah confronts King Ahaz, who is trembling before invading armies. God, through the prophet, invites Ahaz to ask for a sign, a guarantee of divine protection. Ahaz refuses, hiding his lack of faith behind a mask of piety: “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” But God, in His determined mercy, gives a sign anyway. It is a sign that far surpasses the immediate political crisis: “The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” This is the ultimate answer to every human fear. The true enemy is not a foreign army, but the sin and separation that plague us all. God’s solution is His own presence.

Centuries later, in the quiet of Nazareth, this prophecy finds its stunning fulfillment. The angel Gabriel is sent not to a king in a palace, but to a virgin named Mary. He greets her with a title that defines her very being: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” She is the living embodiment of the promise. She is the virgin, and the child she will conceive by the Holy Spirit will truly be Emmanuel. Unlike Ahaz, who doubted, Mary seeks understanding. Her question, “How can this be?”, springs not from disbelief, but from faith seeking clarity. And her final, world-altering “yes”—“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”—is the free, perfect cooperation that unties the knot of Eve’s disobedience. As St. Irenaeus proclaimed, she became the “cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race.”

The God who is infinitely beyond us chose to come infinitely close. He did not remain a distant sign, but became a tangible, incarnate Savior in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the source of all our comfort. In our own moments of fear, failure, and impossibility, we are not merely given a piece of advice or a rule to follow. We are given a person: Jesus, “God-with-us.” He dwells with us in our anxiety, our loneliness, and our sin, to save us from within.

The challenge is to imitate Mary’s faith. We are called to believe that God can bring His life into the barren places of our own hearts and circumstances. We are called to offer our own humble “yes,” even when we do not fully understand the “how.”

As we stand on the brink of Christmas, let us cast aside the fearful skepticism of Ahaz and embrace the faithful wonder of Our Lady. Let us make our own the words of Pope St. John Paul II: “Do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power!” For the God who asked for a dwelling place in Mary’s womb seeks the same in our hearts. He is Emmanuel, and He is with us. Amen.