The Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary
Great Fast Day 39
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 65:8-16; Vespers – Genesis 46:1-7; Proverbs 23:15-24:5; Hebrews 2:11-18; Luke 1:24-38
Feast of the Mother of God. Holy Day of Obligation. The Vespers-Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated in the evening today.
Read Hebrews 2:11-18
Today, we behold a wondrous mystery. The God Who created all enters creation. The God Who exists from all eternity begins in the flesh. The God Whom nothing can contain becomes contained in the womb of the Virgin. He, as the Apostle writes, partakes in the flesh and blood of those who become his brothers and sisters. He is made like us in every respect and even suffers temptation and death so that He can identify entirely with us, help us in temptation, and destroy our death.
God enters the world in a manner that no man or woman could possibly have imagined. At the same time, this amazing act of salvation was made possible only with the consent of a simple and humble maiden. God, desiring not to impose His will on unwilling humanity, came into the world only after the Most-Holy Virgin Mary agreed to be the mother of the Most-High.
As the Lord entered the womb of the Mother of God only with her consent, He enters our hearts only with our consent. He invites us to a relationship with Him, and we need to respond as the Mother of God did. She responded to the call of the Lord with an unreserved and total ‘yes’.
When the Mother of God gave her yes to the Lord, He entered, enlightened, and saved the world. When we give our yes to the Lord, he enters, enlightens, and saves our souls.