March 25: The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ To the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Collect of the Day

Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may byhis cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts, that we who have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought unto the glory of his resurrection; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Isaiah 7:10-14 or Isaiah 7:10–14
Psalm 45 or Psalm 40:5-10 or canticle-15 or Psalm 15
Hebrews 10:4-10 or Hebrews 10:5–10
Luke 1:26-38 or Luke 1:26–38

Today’s feast commemorates how God made known to a young Jewish woman that she was to be the mother of his Son. The Annunciation has been a major theme in Christian art, in both East and West, and innumerable sermons and poems have been composed about it. The term coined by Cyril of Alexandria for the Blessed Virgin, Theotokos (“the God-bearer”), was affirmed by the General Council of Ephesus in 431.

Many theologians stress that Mary accepted her vocation with perfect conformity of will. Mary’s self-offering in response to God’s call has been compared to that of Abraham, the father of believers. Just as Abraham was called to be the father of the chosen people, and accepted his call, so Mary was called to be the mother of the faithful, the new Israel. She is God’s human agent in the mystery of the Incarnation. Her response to the angel, “Let it be to me according to your word,” is identical with the faith expressed in the prayer that Jesus taught: “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.”

But while many Christians emphasize the submissiveness of Mary, according to the sixth-century Syriac writer Jacob of Sarug, the most important words that Mary spoke were not those of quiet acquiescence but rather,“How can this be?” Indeed, in Jacob’s account of the gospel encounter, Mary's response is much more than a single question. Instead, a teenage girl takes on an archangel in a theological debate and freely consents only when she has been convinced that the angel's word is true. In this interpretation, it is Mary's eagerness to understand God’s plan and her own role in it that makes her exemplary rather than her meek consent. Jacob contrasts her behavior with Eve, who did not question the serpent that tempted her in the garden but uncritically accepted the claim that she and Adam would become like gods without testing it first. In Eve’s case, “lack of doubt gave birth to death” because she simply believed whatever she was told and “was won over without any debate.”

In both of these interpretation, however, our salvation is only possible because of Mary’s free cooperation with God in that salvation. It has been said, “God made us without us, and redeemed us without us, but cannot save us without us.” Mary’s assent to God’s call opened the way for God to accomplish the salvation of the world. It is for this reason that all generations have called her “blessed.”

Lessons and Psalm

First Lesson

Psalm

¹My heart is stirring with a noble song; let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; *my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.

²You are the fairest of men; *grace flows from your lips, because God has blessed you for ever.

³Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, *in your pride and in your majesty.

⁴Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth *and for the sake of justice.

⁵Your right hand will show you marvelous things; *your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.

⁶The peoples are falling at your feet, *and the king’s enemies are losing heart.

⁷Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, *a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom; you love righteousness and hate iniquity.

⁸Therefore God, your God, has anointed you *with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

⁹All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, *and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.

¹⁰Kings’ daughters stand among the ladies of the court; *on your right hand is the queen, adorned with the gold of Ophir.

¹¹“Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *forget your people and your father’s house.

¹²The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *he is your master; therefore do him honor.

¹³The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *the rich among the people seek your favor.”

¹⁴All glorious is the princess as she enters; *her gown is cloth-of-gold.

¹⁵In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.

¹⁶With joy and gladness they are brought, *and enter into the palace of the king.

¹⁷“In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *you shall make them princes over all the earth.

¹⁸I will make your name to be remembered from one generation to another; *therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”

Psalm

⁵Great things are they that you have done, O Lord my God! how great your wonders and your plans for us! *there is none who can be compared with you.

⁶Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! *but they are more than I can count.

⁷In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure *(you have given me ears to hear you);

⁸Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, *and so I said, “Behold, I come.

⁹In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *‘I love to do your will, O my God; your law is deep in my heart.’”

¹⁰I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; *behold, I did not restrain my lips; and that, O Lord, you know.

Psalm

¹Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *who may abide upon your holy hill?

²Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *who speaks the truth from his heart.

³There is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil to his friend; *he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.

⁴In his sight the wicked is rejected, *but he honors those who fear the Lord.

⁵He has sworn to do no wrong *and does not take back his word.

⁶He does not give his money in hope of gain, *nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

⁷Whoever does these things *shall never be overthrown.

Epistle

Gospel

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵The angel said to her, “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 holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.