The Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation: Model of a Generous Response to God’s Call

By guest writer Mark Rose

 

The Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord stands as the ultimate ontological turning point for the human race. Within the liturgical framework of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, this day is treated with a gravity that acknowledges the sheer magnitude of the miracle being commemorated.¹’² It is not simply a historical memory of a conversation in Nazareth. Rather, it is a ritualized entry into the moment when the eternal Word of God first touched the finite reality of human flesh.³’⁴ For those of us living in a world defined by constant digital noise and internal distraction, this feast provides a necessary architecture for understanding how to listen, how to hear, and ultimately how to heed a divine invitation.⁵

 

Annunciation Solemn High Mass in NYC

March 25, date of the Incarnation and Passion: Annunciation and Good Friday: Popule Meus, quid feci tibi?

O holy God! O holy Strong One! O holy Immortal One! Have mercy on us.

As is well known, many early Fathers and much of the faithful believed that the first Good Friday fell in the solar Roman Calendar of its time (the Julian calendar, later slightly refined at the order of the Council of Trent to take account of the actual seasonal changes) on March 25, the same day of the Annunciation. This has taken place this year, and it is a rare event: it will only happen again in the year 2157, when we will be long gone from this earth: