Feast of the Annunciation

Last week, the Church celebrated the Feast of Saint Joseph. To begin this week, we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation. The normal date for the feast is March 25 because nine months later is December 25. Since the 25th fell on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the feast is transferred to today! It is amazing that in the midst of Lent we celebrate two beautiful feasts. We are preparing to culminate the liturgical year with the glorious Solemnity of Easter, our Lord's Resurrection, but today we receive the gift of where salvation began for us. The Annunciation heralds the beginning of our salvation. By Mary's obedient "Fiat," the earth has become heaven. As Pope Benedict XVI says, "In Jesus, God has placed, in the midst of barren, despairing mankind, a new beginning which is not a product of human history but a gift from above" (Magnificat, 373). This message goes along with the Good Word that we hear in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." Jesus was sent by the Father to be the Savior of the world. To get to the resurrection, we need to have the birth of our Lord and we need to go through the cross. We celebrate today the great message of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she has found favor with God and will be the mother of God's only Son. By her "YES," we have become a blessed and redeemed people. May we follow our Blessed Mother's example by saying "YES" to God's will in our lives and celebrate with joy these events that led to our salvation. Have a blessed day!!!