Gospel
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
We celebrate Christmas as the day God came to be one with his created. But really the Annunciation is so much more for us to celebrate. This is the day the angel came to receive Mary’s yes to be God Bearer and conceive in her womb the God of the Universe, the creator entering the body of the created. A God who loves us so much he wanted to be with us, among us, to enter into our story and history so we would know his love.
And the life of Jesus Christ in the world started here in the young woman in a small backwater town who would find her world upended and nothing from that point on would be as she and Joseph had planned. And how could it? For they now had the God almighty with them. The King of the Universe. The Prince of Peace and our Redeemer.
Today we celebrate God giving a human nature to God and man being joined in the flesh by the one who made him from dust.
Mary’s yes changed the world and changed our relationship with our God. For we are now his brother and sister.
He knows our pain and our suffering. And he is with us always with the Holy Spirit who dwells in those who are in a state of grace.
It is a cause for celebration and joy and gratitude for us for we are loved by a God who not only speaks from heaven but speaks to us in the flesh, face to face.
We are in Lent and the joy of this day should inspire us to spend more time with him in meditations and adoration. Today and everyday we can sit with him in a Catholic Church where his presence resides. How wonderful a thing for us. Let’s remember to find one day to visit before Easter and just be with him. Give him our joys and sorrows and ask him to be with us
Do not be afraid. Do not worry. Do not let anxiety and fear wear you down. For the Lord is with us.
Deacon Tony Pynes 
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