Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord celebrates the coming of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce to her the special mission God had chosen for her in being the mother of his only son. The feast is celebrated on March 25, nine months before Christmas.
The Annunciation is a celebration of the Incarnation and of the important role that Mary plays in our salvation. "In celebrating the Incarnation of the Son," Pope Benedict XVI said, "we cannot fail to honor his mother. The Angel's proclamation was addressed to her; she accepted it, and when she responded from the depths of her heart: 'Here I am... let it be done to me according to your word' (Lk 1: 38), at that moment the eternal Word began to exist as a human being in time."
Though not a holy day of obligation, we are continually reminded of the importance of this feast to our salvation in various devotional prayers. Two examples that highlight the importance of the Annunciation are the joyous mysteries of the Rosary and the Angelus.
The Annunciation is also a time, Pope Francis has said, for all of us to reflect on our own responses to the Lord. The pope said it is a day on "which we should thank the Lord and ask ourselves: Am I a man or woman who says, ‘yes’ or am I a man or woman who says ‘no’ or who looks the other way in order to avoid responding?”
The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord began to be celebrated on March 25 during the fourth and fifth centuries, soon after the date for celebrating Christmas was universalized throughout the Church.
This feast celebrates the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity and the salvation of all mankind. This point of our salvation was deeply discussed by many of the Church Fathers to explain it to the faithful and to show the deep love God has for us. Some of the Church fathers who wrote on this were St. Athanasius, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Augustine.
How can I celebrate the solemnity?
Pray the Joyous Mysteries of the Rosary
