SOLEMNITY of the Annunciation of the Lord

Basilica of the Annunciation of the Lord in Israel.

The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary on this spot in Nazareth.

READINGS

Verse Before the Gospel John 1:14ab

The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us; and we saw his glory. 

Gospel Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. ”But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end. ”But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

Then the angel departed from her.

REFLECTION

 "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

These words from the mouth of a virgin teen are the most powerful words spoken by any human being on this earth. Why? The Virgin Mary's Fiat, her Yes, brought the Lord our God to become incarnate in her womb.

When I was a little girl, I remember hearing the toll of the Catholic Church bells and my family and I would stop activities to pray the Angelus. We would do this at 6:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 6:00 pm every day. Do we, Catholics, pray the Angelus three times a day anymore?

This Catholic tradition was started in 11th century when the monasteries in Italy would ring the bells to call the monks to prayer. Over the next seven centuries the practice of reciting the Angelus included meditating on the Resurrection in the morning, the passion of Christ at noon and the Incarnation in the evening. Catholics were encouraged to pray the Angelus three times a day.

Pope Benedict XVI's message on the Solemnity of the Annunciation was, "The Angels's proclamation was addressed to her; she accepted it, and when she responded from the depths of her heart...at that moment the eternal Word began to exist in time. From generation to generation the wonder evoked by this ineffable mystery never ceases."

Listen for the 3 tolls of the church bells and stop to pray the Angelus and meditate on the Incarnation as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord today.