the Annunciation
est. by: St. Luke + st. Matthew
FEast: March 25th
Patron of:
announcements, pregnancy, "yes", fertility
Bio
The Gospel of Luke gives us an account of a story in which the Archangel Gabriel appears to a woman named Mary to tell her that she would give birth to a son through the Holy Spirit.
Gabriel appears to this young woman in the small town of Nazareth, 6 months after her cousin Elizabeth became pregnant with Jesus’ cousin, St. John the Baptist. We learn that she is betrothed to Joseph but still living at home, and when Gabriel appears and greets her, saying, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee”, she is confused and afraid. Gabriel then says,
“Fear not, Mary, for thou has found grace with God. Behold thou shall conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son; and thou shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Mary asks how this could be possible, since she had vowed to remain celibate, and Gabriel explains that it will happen through God and the Holy Spirit, and even announces to her that her cousin Elizabeth is miraculously pregnant as well. Mary then consents to this and says “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to thy word.”
Matthew’s Gospel also gives us a shorter version of this story, and it gives us the detail that Joseph, upon finding out about Mary’s pregnancy, decides to divorce her, but quietly, so that she would not be punished or cast out because of it. Gabriel appears to Joseph in his sleep that night, however, to explain to him what he had explained to Mary, and Joseph changes his mind.
The focus of this feast is not only on Mary’s brave “yes”, but also on the idea of Jesus becoming human, like us. Mary is known hereafter as a link between Heaven and Earth.
The feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25th, 9 months before Christmas.
Prayer
St Mary, at the Annunciation, your free, loving choice to bear Jesus was a triumph. It took strength, grace, bravery, and more faith than we could ever know. Let us never forget how powerful you are - how vibrant, real, and fiery, combatting the way you are often portrayed as quiet and passive. Amen.
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Art Reflection
All of the colors come from traditional images of the annunciation. In my studies, I was surprised to find that so many icons and paintings depict her in red rather than an expected blue. she never seems to be looking up, and I make this choice to symbolize her boldness, bravery, and agency. I chose to make her outfit a playful one because of her age and the unexpected nature of the miracle. Its almost as if she has been at an important family gathering or religious ceremony earlier in the day and then snuck away later to explore some nature nearby in her boots, alone. She holds a lily as a symbol of her purity, as usual, and confidently gazes up at the green swish in the shape of a wing. Her earrings are fruit, symbolic of fertility, and she also holds the lily to her front in the way many traditional paintings show a light or directional shape pointing to her womb. Lastly, her halo has some movement to it, almost as if it is currently on fire with the passion of the event.