On the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, The Catholic Church celebrates when Jesus began his earthly life, and the obedience and faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary by whose consent his incarnation was possible.
The archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she had been chosen by God to assist him in his divine plan by giving birth to his Son, the long-awaited Savior of the world.
Mary had free will and made a choice to give her humble and faithful submission to God’s will. This is known as her fiat. Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit at that moment and God became man.
The Annunciation is the very first Joyful Mystery of the Rosary and the inspiration for the Angelus prayer. Gabriel’s respectful greeting to Mary is the first part of the Hail Mary.
A shared feast of Jesus and of Mary, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is celebrated by Catholics on March 25, exactly nine months before the birth of Jesus at Christmas.
When March 25 falls on a Sunday of Lent, during Holy Week, or during the Octave of Easter, the solemnity is transferred to the next weekday that is not occupied by another solemnity or feast.
Remembering Mary’s role in God becoming man:
A birth announcement:
Announcing the birth of Christ in advance:
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.
Luke 1: 34-38
The Blessed Mother shows how to respond to God:
Without Mary’s cooperation, Jesus would not be conceived:
Mary shows how faith seeks understanding:
Mary could have said “No”:
In fact, Mary’s “yes” perfectly mirrors that of Christ Himself when He entered the world, as the Letter to the Hebrews says, interpreting Psalm 40[39]: “As is written of me in the book, I have come to do your will, O God”. The Son’s obedience was reflected in that of the Mother and thus, through the encounter of these two “yeses”, God was able to take on a human face. This is why the Annunciation is a Christological feast as well, because it celebrates a central mystery of Christ: the Incarnation. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your Word”. Mary’s reply to the Angel is extended in the Church, which is called to make Christ present in history, offering her own availability so that God may continue to visit humanity with his mercy. The “yes” of Jesus and Mary is thus renewed in the “yes” of the saints, especially martyrs who are killed because of the Gospel.
Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Address, 25 March 2007
Announcing God’s plan for the throne of Israel:
The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates “the fullness of time”, the time of the fulfillment of God’s promises and preparations. Mary was invited to conceive Him in Whom the “whole fullness of deity” would dwell “bodily”. The divine response to her question, “How can this be, since I know not man?”, was given by the power of the Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church 484
Celebrating the Annunciation where the angel Gabriel met Mary:
Contemplating the Annunciation in art:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Carrying the world in prayer:
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