The Annunciation
"Good News For Everyone"
When meditating upon the Annunciation mystery it may be useful to look at a picture
of the Annunciation or even listen to some soothing, uplifting music.
Be mindful that the fruit of this mystery is humility and recall this scene as you meditate...
The Angel Gabriel appears to Mary, a young Jewish girl.
Gabriel greets Mary saying,
"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." Luke 1:28.
These familiar words is how Mary is greeted in the Hail Mary Prayer, the main rosary prayer.
Gabriel is declaring that Mary is holy. She never had original sin, in the words
of the angel, she is "full of grace".
Mary being very humble is disturbed by the angels words. The angel recognizing
this then adds, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God."Luke 1:30
Gabriel continues with his message to Mary,
"Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt
call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most
High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and
he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall
be no end." Luke 1:31-33
Now because Mary is a virgin she is puzzled and asks the angel how this is possible.
He answers her...
"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most
High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God." Luke 1:35
Mary knows about the promise of a savior and is well informed of the Messianic
prophesies of the Old Testament.
However, when you look at her comments to the angel, Mary obviously doesn't fully
understand all that is happening to her but she answers in the most obedient
and confident way.
She says...
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word." -Luke 1:38
Mary always conforms her will to that of God's.
Imitating Mary's attitude toward God's will is a sure way to bring peace to your life.
For the exact Bible account of the Annunciation please see Luke 1:26-38
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Rosary Joyful Mystery
The Annunciation...
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Mary humbly obeys with joy the annunciation of the words of Gabriel
Mary is immaculate. She was conceived without sin.
Archangel Gabriel declares so here when he uses the words full of grace to
describe Mary.
Mary was free from all stain of sin.
Jesus picked her from all eternity to be His mother.
He could only share flesh with a pure and
unblemished Mother.
Mary also called herself by this title at Lourdes.
Mary's initial response to the angel's praises is silence.
This is a theme of humility that is seen throughout the Biblical accounts of Mary...
"But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart." -Luke 2:19
"And his mother kept all these words in her heart." -Luke 2:51
Mary is uncomfortable with the angel's greeting because she
doesn't see herself as anything special.
The more the angel exalted her the
humbler she became.
That is why she is troubled by his annunciation
- Mary is the handmaid or servant of the Lord
- Mary trusts in God
- Mary is the first to hear the "Good News"
- "Blessed are the clean of heart" Matthew 5:8
Unlike Eve who was seduced by a tempter, Mary, the new Eve
remained silent and thought to herself what this message might mean
Mary is at enmity with Lucifer (Satan).
Lucifer was impressed
with his own brilliance and in his pride thought himself better than God.
In contrast, Mary shows deep humility and as you can see in her Magnificat,
she gave all the glory to God where it belongs
Because Mary was a devout Jew, she knew that the promised
Messiah would come and save her people as God had promised.
Surely she prayed
that God would send this Messiah.
Yet she was much too humble to ever think she would be chosen to share her flesh with Him
Because Mary humbled herself, God responded by exalting her
and making her the mother of the Son
"And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled: and he that shall humble
himself shall be exalted." -Matthew 23:12
In these words of Jesus, you see the significance of the example Mary demonstrated
at the Annunciation.
Gabriel means "power of God"
Jesus means "God saves"
Just as you sometimes don't understand why certain things
happen to you, Mary didn't fully understand what was happening to her.
Nevertheless,
Mary said "I will" to God.
Follow her example of trust and confidence in God's plan for you.
No matter how confusing they may seem.
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word." -Luke 1:38
Mary's Fiat.
This is the most powerful answer that could be given.
This is Mary's "yes".
At this moment "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" -John 1:14
The Son of God became the Son of Mary
Mary does not let way to her own glory. She humbly responses
that she is the servant of God
In her response, Mary is essentially saying, "Thy Will be done."
This prayer is the theme of Jesus' life and Mary's consent here get's the ball rolling
Mary's glaring virtues are faith, obedience and humility
One final thought for meditation comes from St. Alphonsus Liguori in The Glories of Mary.
Mary "is infinitely inferior to God, but immensely superior to all creatures;
and as it is impossible to find a Son more noble than Jesus, so is it also impossible
to find a Mother more noble than Mary."
Prayer After Meditating
On The Annunciation
Dear Lord, thank You for coming to this world through your spotless, virgin mother Mary.
Through her humility and willingness to do only the will of God, Your greatness has been manifested.
Please increase in me the virtues of faith, obedience, and humility so that
by imitating Your Mother I may find consolation in all my trials.
Amen.
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