Who Will Accept the Sign?

During the Advent and Christmas Seasons, a quote from the seventh chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah recurs in the Sacred Liturgy both at the Mass and in the Liturgy of the Hours. “Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel” (Is 7:14).
 
St. Matthew quotes this passage in the first chapter of his Gospel in reference to how the birth of Jesus came about. He specifies that Emmanuel means “God with us.” He presents the virginal conception and birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plan for our salvation that is seen in prophecies and signs in the Old Testament.
 
But, what is the context of this sign in Isaiah? The Lord indicates that He will give a sign to King Ahaz of Judea. It was at a very difficult period in his reign. Syria was threatening to invade Ahaz’ kingdom. God is offering this sign to Ahaz to invite Ahaz to put his trust in God and not in human aid. Ahaz was not a good king, because he worshiped false gods and led his people into spiritual decline. As a result, he did not want the sign at all. Nevertheless, God delivered the sign through the prophet Isaiah. Even then, Ahaz did not look to the Lord for help, but rather from the country of Assyria for protection when the invasion came. As a result of trusting in men and politics instead of trusting in God’s truth, Judah became a vassal (or servant) state of Assyria. Not a good situation!
 
Before we start to throw stones at Ahaz, we should ask ourselves some questions about the sign that God gives us. Do we accept this sign of the conception and birth of a child today? In a nation where there are close to a million babies aborted each year, it seems that we, too, refuse to accept the sign from God. It appears that many look for help, guidance, and direction from a culture that would kill a child and call it healthcare rather than look to God, the Creator of all life, for the help that is needed to bring the precious gift of a child to be born.
 
Of course, we never blame women, who are often in very difficult circumstances of poverty and great pressure in their lives. We do look at legislators who promote laws making it possible and acceptable to abort a child. We do reject organizations and pharmaceutical firms that provide the means to abort innocent children. And, we do look at ourselves and ask, “Am I doing enough to provide a solution to pregnant women to prevent their ending the lives of their unborn children? Am I proclaiming the Gospel of Life with confidence and conviction? Am I trying to provide support and love to expectant mothers and their unborn children? Am I trying to promote a culture of life for every human person, and especially the most vulnerable in our midst – the unborn child in the womb of a mother? Do I accept the sign of the mother who conceives and gives birth to her children? Whose side am I on—the side of life and light, or the side of darkness and death?
 
During this month when we will go to Washington, DC for the National Pro-Life March, let us accept the sign and choose life!
 
Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh