The annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Gabriel the Archangel was the divine message to her that she was to be the Mother of God (Luke 1) and that the Word being made flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Marking this important event on March 25 is a tradition that has existed since the seventh century, after the date for celebrating Christmas was universalized throughout the Church. The feast probably originated about the time of the Council of Ephesus, c.431, and is first mentioned in the Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius. It occurs exactly nine months before December 25, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Mary was the first to hear and believe that God would do what he promised to the world. She also discovered that she would play a very special role in God’s plan for salvation. Jesus would be formed in her womb, and she would care for him.
Perhaps Mary had a sort of private and internal Christmas at the moment of the Annunciation. Maybe she felt the fullness of the world’s Christmas joy inside of her own heart when she realized she had been chosen to be the Mother of God.
The Church’s theological tradition speculates that one of the reasons the bad angels may have rebelled against God was envy. They may have discovered that God chose to become man, instead of the higher form of an angel. This envy would have been directed at the Virgin Mary as well, the Vessel of Honour and Ark of the Covenant who bore the divine choice.
Mary agreed to God’s plan because she wanted her will to be God’s will. And she was willing to accept the joy and pain that came along with it to bring Christ to a world that waited for him over centuries. On this day, we not only celebrate the announcement to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus, but also her willing acceptance of the good news.
The Annunciation has produced three important liturgical texts: the Ave Maria, the Angelus, and the Magnificat. The angel’s greeting to Mary is translated as “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,” and this is the opening of the Ave Maria and a part of Rosary prayers. The Angelus is made up of three Ave Maria’s, along with additional material. This is said three times a day in the Roman Catholic Church. And the Magnificat (in Luke 1:46-55) is the poem that Mary says to respond to the Annunciation and celebrates God’s power.
The Magnificat demonstrates that Mary became the herald of salvation. Some theologians suggest that the story of the Annunciation emphasizes the status of women because God enlists the help of a woman to create the saviour of the world. As the herald of salvation, she becomes a spokesperson for justice and marginalized people who also became both the focus of Jesus and Christians in the Church.
Other Saints of the Day
1. Saint Nicodemus of Mammola
2. Saint Lucia Filippini
3. Saint Margaret Clitherow
4. Saint Humbert of Pelagius
5. Saint Procopius
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