Luke 1:26-38: And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. 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. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to 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. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. On the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin Mary Today are strains of praise sung joyfully by the choir of angels, and the light of the advent of Christ shines brightly upon the faithful. Today is the glad spring-time to us, and Christ the Sun of righteousness has beamed with clear light around us, and has illumined the minds of the faithful. Today is Adam made anew, and moves in the choir of angels, having winged his way to heaven. Today is the whole circle of the earth filled with joy, since the sojourn of the Holy Spirit has been realized to men. Today the grace of God and the hope of the unseen shine through all wonders transcending imagination, and make the mystery that was kept hidden from eternity plainly discernible to us. Today are woven the chaplets of never-fading virtue. Today, God, willing to crown the sacred heads of those whose pleasure is to hearken to Him, and who delight in His festivals, invites the lovers of unswerving faith as His called and His heirs; and the heavenly kingdom is urgent to summon those who mind celestial things to join the divine service of the incorporeal choirs. Today is fulfilled the word of David, Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad. The fields shall be joyful, and all the trees of the wood before the Lord, because He comes. David thus made mention of the trees; and the Lord's forerunner also spoke of them as trees that should bring forth fruits meet for repentance, or rather for the coming of the Lord. But our Lord Jesus Christ promises perpetual gladness to all those who believe in Him. For He says, I will see you, and you shall rejoice; and your joy no man takes from you. St. Gregory Thaumaturgus
This shows the love Mary had for God. She didn't ask questions about being the Mother of God. She just accepted this gift and put Her trust in God. I wonder if an angel came to me and asked me to do the same thing, would I just simply accept or would I ask some questions first. I reckon my first concern would be. "What will everyone think of me, being pregnant and not married?" I know in the year 2013, to be pregnant and not married is the way to go. But in those days, a woman was stoned for such a sin. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
In the United States this year, the Feast of the Annunciation will be celebrated on Monday, 4/8, so as not to conflict with Holy Week. Just curious- did the feast get "bumped" anywhere else?
No, I am proud to announce this forum is the only place in the Universal Church and the entire Universe that did not bump the Annunciation for Holy Week. We of course got it right; the rest got it wonkey.
How can an Annunciation be bumped the whole week? If it is today - IT IS TODAY. We are celebrating today. Today is one of the days Holy Souls are released form Purgatory
I wondered why I didn't hear a mention of it at mass. Padraig, you reminded me of this feast day. But the church has good reason why to postphone it. Mary too would not want to take anything away from our thoughts of Jesus during Holy Week.
If the Church declares it, isn't what the Church declares bound in heaven and earth? I'm doing the St. Loius De Monfort 33 day consecration to Jesus through Mary to end for the Annunciation, I hope the Church has it right
There is a table of precedence of liturgical celebrations, which determines the liturgy of the day when two or more celebrations coincide. Here it is: Table of Liturgical Days according to their order of precedenceI1.- The Paschal Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord. 2.- The Nativity of the Lord, the Epiphany, the Ascension, and Pentecost. Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter. Ash Wednesday. Weekdays of Holy Week from Monday up to and including Thursday. Days within the Octave of Easter. 3.- Solemnities inscribed in the General Calendar, whether of the Lord, of the Blessed Virgin Mary or of Saints. The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. 4.- Proper Solemnities, namely. a) The Solemnity of the principal Patron of the place, city or state. b) The Solemnity of the dedication and of the anniversary of the dedication of one’s own church. c) The Solemnity of the Title of one’s own church. d) The Solemnity either of the Title or of the Founder or of the principal Patron of an Order or Congregation. II5.- Feasts of the Lord inscribed in the General Calendar. 6.- Sundays of Christmas Time and the Sundays in Ordinary Time. 7.- Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Saints in the General Calendar. ... etc. ... 60.- If several celebrations fall on the same day, the one that holds the highest rank according to the Table of Liturgical Days is observed. However, a Solemnity impeded by a liturgical day that takes precedence over it should be transferred to the closest day not listed under nos. 1-8 in the Table of Precedence, provided that what is laid down in no. 5 is observed. As to the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, whenever it falls on any day of Holy Week, it shall always be transferred to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter. http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Calendar/Info/GNLY.pdf
This brings to mind the 'confusion' that has taken hold regarding the correct date for the birthday of Our Blessed Virgin Mary. When I first heard it 'should' be the 5th i remember thinking i now know better than the others. Now i'm no longer comfortable with this special birthday. it is important to celebrate it in union with the whole church. BTW does anyone know who in Medjugore gave out that the 'correct' birthday was the 5th?
