In the midst of our Lenten journey, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation, a day of great joy. Unlike the other days of Lent, the liturgical color today is white instead of purple, and we recite the Gloria today at Mass, which is normally omitted throughout Lent.
As Catholics, we celebrate the Annunciation as the beginning of God’s incarnation. God enters into world in a deep intimacy by becoming flesh. The joy we are to feel in our hearts today in this celebration is not a worldly joy, but rather, it is to be an experience of turning to the ultimate source of all life, the final destiny of everything created, and our ultimate fulfillment. God entered our world through the incarnation to have a deep relationship with us and to bring us salvation.
Where do we get the word “Annunciation”? It comes from the root words as the verb “announce”. The Angel Gabriel makes an announcement today to the Virgin Mary herself about the upcoming birth of Jesus. Although Mary is shocked at the message of the angel, she ultimately responds to God, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” This echoes the refrain we hear in the psalm today: “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.”
I mentioned the joy that I connect with today’s celebration of the Annunciation. The Annunciation is the first of the joyful mysteries of the Rosary, followed by Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and the nativity of the Lord. It is good for us to think about how we experience joy in our faith and how we bring that joy to others. I think that too often, that joy in our faith gets pushed aside.
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