The Annunciation is a mystery of the holy rosary, the core of the Angelus prayer (which is recited traditionally in the morning, at noon, and in the evening), and today’s feast; a holy day of obligation. But there is so much more to it than that.

The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost. These are the starting words in the Angelus, and they sum up this feast pretty well. The first chapter of Luke 28-38 contains the most detailed account of the Annunciation. The Archangel Gabriel appears to Mary (tradition teaches she was either in a garden or reading when this occurred) and greets her, saying: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women… behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall… be called the Son of the Most High… and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Mary asks, “How shall this be done, because I know not man?” Gabriel answers her, saying, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.”

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.” Notice the utter humility of Mary’s response. She’s accepting to be the mother of God! What a privilege! And yet, she still acknowledges herself as a handmaiden of the lord; she considered herself nothing more than a servant! Not only is her humility prominent in these key words, but also her unfailing faith in her God. Whether she comprehended everything she had been told or not, she was willing to accept it wholeheartedly because it was what her heavenly Father willed, with all of its joys and all of its pains.

And the Word was made flesh. And dwelt among us. Whenever we hear these words- most often in the last gospel of the Mass- we kneel or bow our heads in adoration. Because, through Mary’s acceptance of the will of God, the Word was made flesh. God was made man, to dwell among us! What an awe inspiring thought, that our God should submit himself to come to earth as one of us, to one day suffer and die for each and every one of our sins. Today, this feast is celebrates Christ’s incarnation: His first step into this world, His first step towards Calvary, and His first step towards the fulfilling of our Salvation.

As soon as man receives into his heart the full meaning of the Annunciation and the full light of the Incarnation, two self-evident truths arise upon his reason: the one, the presence of Jesus in the Blesses Sacrament; the other, the love and veneration of His Blessed Mother. -Cardinal Manning.

Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us

Written by: RosaryGirl