Readings here.

Morning and Evening Prayers here.

Children’s Prayers here.

The feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, March 25th, celebrates the mystery of Word of God made flesh, who dwelt among us. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Though Mary has a key role in this  feast of the Incarnation, this is primarily a feast of Jesus, not of Mary.

The feast originated in the 5th century, probably in Jerusalem. Gradually it was adopted by other churches of the Christian world. To appreciate the rich symbolism of this feast, it is important to recognize the role of the Church of Jerusalem in its creation. That church had a hand in creating many of our ancient  feasts.

Established by Constantine in the 4th century, the great churches and shrines of the Jerusalem Church, especially the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, became a center for pilgrims to the Holy Land. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built next to the ruins of the Temple Mount, never abandoned the rich symbolism found in Jewish tradition.

The date of our feast of the Annuciation, March 25, offers an example. The spring equinox, when light began to conquer darkness, was associated in Jewish tradition with the  Exodus from Egypt, but also the creation of the world, the creation and fall of Adam, and Abraham’s offering of his Son to God. 

This early Christian feast in Jerusalem embraced the same ancient saving events and saw them completed in the mysteries of Christ. On this day Mary accepted the invitation of the angel and nine months later, December 25th,Jesus Christ, the Light of the world was born. He is the New Adam. His death and resurrection bring to Israel and to the world the promise of a land flowing in milk and honey.

The Letter to e Hebrews, read on our feast today, proclaims the role of Jesus, who said “a body you prepared for me…behold, I come to do your will, O God.’” God’s will was that his Son take a body in the womb of Mary.

Most of our readings in the liturgy for the last few weeks of Lent are from St. John’s Gospel, which presents Jesus as a divine teacher and worker of wonders.

This feast reminds us of the humanity of Jesus, silent and unknown in Mary’s womb. He lived unrecognized among the people of Nazareth. He was human all his life.

Our first reading for this feast cautions us in the figure of Ahaz about misreading

the presence of God among us. “ The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”