The Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord | Monday 8 April 2024

Today is Monday 8 April, the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, in the 2nd week of Eastertide.

The Tölzer Knabenchor and the Choir of the King’s Consort sing Et Incarnatus Est from Bach’s Mass in B minor. ‘By the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.’
Listen to how this music expresses the mystery and the wonder of the incarnation, of God becoming human, of a God not far away, somewhere in the sky, remote and inaccessible, but so close to us as to become one of us. That is how close God is to us. That is how close God is to you now.

Et incarnatus est
de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria virgine,
et homo factus est.




Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘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 holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Many artists have tried to capture this scene. Often they show a young Mary, surprised, perhaps even frightened, or else calm and composed. Gabriel with huge multi-coloured feathery wings, or perhaps simply as a light shining in one corner of the picture. How would you yourself try to paint the Annunciation scene?

Of all that the angel Gabriel says here, what most stays with you?

And what part of Mary’s response most catches your attention?

As the passage is read again, notice particularly how it ends. Mary agrees to go along with God’s plan, and straightaway the angel departs. Do you have a sense of what Mary might be thinking and feeling at that point?

Speak finally with God, or with Mary, or even with Gabriel, about whatever this dramatic passage has meant to you.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.