The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord


The Annunciation by Philippe de Champaigne

Today is the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. This special Feast commemorates the moment when the angel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Child Jesus. (Lk. 1:26-38). It was the moment when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that the Incarnation of God would be fulfilled through her. This was the official announcement that the Word of God would become man.

The Annunciation heralds the beginning of our salvation. By Mary's obedient "Fiat" the earth has become heaven. "In Jesus, God has placed in the midst of barren, despairing mankind, a new beginning which is not a product of human history but a gift from above" (Pope Benedict XVI). All that our heart cries out for became flesh in Mary's wound. When we repeat the words of the angel by praying the Hail Mary, the word of God germinates in our soul. Christianity is this never-ending event of encounter with God made present in the maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"What came about in bodily form in Mary, the fullness of the godhead shining through Christ in the Blessed Virgin, takes place in a similar way in every soul that has been made pure. The Lord does not come in bodily form, for ´we no longer know Christ according to the flesh´, but He dwells in us spiritually and the Father takes up His abode with Him, the Gospel tells us. In this way the child Jesus is born in each of us."

~Gregory of Nyssa

More on The Annunciation of the Lord:

TEN BLESSINGS OF MARY AT THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD

And She Conceived by the Holy Spirit: A Reflection on the Annunciation

The Annunciation of the Lord
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