The Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Tuesday, March 25 (The Annunciation)
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Drop down, ye heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down the Righteous One:
Let the earth open, and bring forth the Savior.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament sheweth His handywork.
—Isaiah 45:8a, Psalm 19:1
A writing for the Holy Gospel, Luke 1:26–38a:
“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” […] And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
—Luke 1:28b, 35-37
The angel called out to the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with thee!” Gabriel called out to Mary in her lowly estate. She heard the angel’s voice, and she believed. She believed that the words he had spoken to her were not his words, but the words of the Lord. That same Lord, the angel declared, was with her. How blessed is she, for the Lord was with her!
The Blessed Virgin received a singularly unique gift that no other human may receive. To be the New Ark of the Covenant, the womb in which the Savior of mankind would reside, grow, and mature is a gift only Mary can claim. For this, and for her steadfast faith, the Church lauds and honors the Blessed Virgin.
We know that the singularly unique gift given to Mary will not be given to us, yet we nevertheless rejoice that yet a blessed gift is given to us. Just as the angel Gabriel called out to Mary and spoke the Lord’s words to her, so also does the Word call out to us. The Word made flesh speaks to us in our lowly estate. We hear, and we so believe.
The Annunciation made to the Virgin Mary is an irreplicable moment in history. Nevertheless, the blessed pronouncement that the Word would become flesh and dwell among His fallen Creation is a timeless gift, the fruits of which extend into every time and place. The Annunciation is a singularity in time which extends well into the eternal order of all Creation. God’s promise for mankind is confirmed in the Annunciation. God would bring forth from the Virgin’s womb the Savior of mankind.
With this eternally blessed and sacred pronouncement, God calls out to us. Yet unlike the Virgin Mary, our timid and fearful hearts may be so inclined to say, “This cannot be!” We doubt that our Maker still yearns for His fallen Creation. We fail to believe that the promise He made to our forefathers—indeed, the promise He made to Adam and Eve after the Fall—could possibly be fulfilled.
Yet like the Virgin Mary, through His Holy Spirit we are made to believe that God’s Word is true. When He calls to us, we believe Him, for the Incarnate Word has made all things new. Through His sacrifice on the cross, He wrought redemption for His people. By His resurrection, we are justified by grace and given the hope of everlasting life. In His Word, we find grace, truth, and life.
Like the Annunciation, God’s call to us is not a singular moment in time. He calls to us daily. In the waters of Holy Baptism, we are made heirs of the eternal gift of righteousness that Christ won for us through His Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection. In the Sacrament of the Altar, we receive the Body and Blood of Him who became Man, according to the angel’s announcement, and from these gifts we receive life, forgiveness, and salvation. In Confession and Absolution, we hear the gracious words of our heavenly Father call out to us: “Do not ask how this can be. I am with you.”
Indeed, our heavenly Father is with us. He calls out to us as He called out to the Blessed Virgin Mary—and as she believed His call, so also we believe when He calls to us. We need not wonder how this can be. We need not ponder by what manner these miraculous promises take place. We need not doubt the words of our Lord and the means by which they are proclaimed.
Instead, with the Virgin Mary, we submit ourselves fully to the Father’s will. We hear His call, and we believe. We sing praises to Him, we receive His good and gracious gifts, and we treasure up in our hearts all that the Lord has promised. We doubt not His Word, but know that His Word is true. His call is genuine. His grace is sufficient. For indeed, the Lord is with us.
Luther on Luke 1:26–38a:
“It almost seems as though God is at enmity with the world. Present conditions are so shameful all around us in the world, as God allows murderous mobs and rabble, so much violence and so much misfortune to prevail, so that we might think God is only Lord and God of the angels and that He has forgotten about mankind. But here in our text we see that He befriends us humans like no other creatures, in the very closest relationship, and, in turn, we humans have a closer relationship with God than with any creature. Sun and moon are not as close to us as is God, for He comes to us in our own flesh and blood. God not only rules over us, not only lives in us, but personally became a human being.
”This is the grace which we celebrate today, thanking God that He has cleansed our sinful conception and birth through His holy conception and birth, and removed the curse from us and blessed us. By nature our conception and birth are flawed and laden with sin. In contrast, Christ's conception and birth were holy and pure. Through His holy conception and birth our sinful nature, flesh, and blood are blessed and made holy. It is on this basis that we are baptized, so that by means of God's Word, the sacraments, and the Holy Spirit we might have the fruit of His holy conception and birth. May we always thank Him for His grace and never become weary or surfeited in hearing and learning this. Unfortunately, most people in the world think they know it all, after they have heard it once.”—Martin Luther, Sermon for the Feast of the Annunciation, taken from Martin Luther’s Church Postils.
Hymn for the Feast of the Annunciation:
1 For Mary, blessed Virgin, do we sing
To Christ, who is her Savior and her King,
Who, born of God and with the Father one,
Came down and made her womb his holy throne.
2 All generations now confess her blest,
As she by God the Spirit once confessed,
For God made her the vessel of His grace
From whom our Lord first showed His human face.
3 When Gabriel spoke then Mary’s heart believed,
And by the Holy Spirit she conceived,
And God, who nurtures all and all things made,
Was nurtured and made man within a maid.
4 As fire burned in the bush unharmed by flame,
And by this mystery God showed his name,
So Mary stays a virgin through the birth
Of Jesus, named the Savior of the earth.
5 What favor did our God in heaven show
To all who live in sin and death below
When God showed favor to the Virgin blest,
And from her flesh our flesh and blood possessed?
6 The mighty are cast down from off their seat,
The rich are ruined and the proud retreat,
The hungry eat the flesh and drink the blood
That flows to lift the lowly up to God.
7 How blest is she whose faith was in the Word
That made her be the mother of our Lord!
God, grant us so to trust in what You say,
And with Your mother marvel at this day!
8 Grant us, dear Father, such humility
As we within the blessed Virgin see,
That we with her may praise her holy Son,
With You and with the Holy Spirit One.
Text: Mark Preus, 2011.1
Collect of the Day for the Feast of the Annunciation:
Almighty God, who didst will that agreeably to the angel’s message Thy Son become incarnate of the Virgin Mary: mercifully grant that our sinful conception may be cleansed by His immaculate conception: through the same, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost: ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Theological and liturgical notes for the Feast of the Annunciation:
The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the oldest Christian feasts. The earliest record of its celebration dates roughly to the sixth century.2 It was recorded in a canon of the Council of Toledo in 656, which claims that the feast was celebrated throughout the Western Church. Another canon of the Council of Constantinople “in Trullo” in 692 forbade the celebration of any festivals during Lent, except Sundays and the Feast of the Annunciation.
The Annunciation is celebrated exactly nine months before the Nativity. Historically, the Annunciation has been closely tied to God’s act of creation, as the spring equinox has often symbolized the day of Creation. The spring equinox has also symbolized the redemption of Creation through the Incarnation.3
Historically, the Feast of the Annunciation has been moved if it falls during Holy Week or Easter Week, as no feast may be kept during Holy Week. When the Annunciation falls on a Sunday during Lent, it may be moved to the following Monday (March 26). When the Annunciation falls during Holy Week, it is often placed on the Monday following the Second Sunday of Easter.4
This hymn was written by Rev. Mark Preus, and published to his site, “New Lutheran Hymns.” It may be found here. Rev. Preus suggests the tune ADORO TE to accompany the hymn.
Collinge, William J. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Catholicism. Scarecrow Press. p. 38.
Pronechen, Joseph (2019). "Why March 25, the Annunciation, Was Once New Year's Day". National Catholic Register.
Holweck, Frederick George (1907). "Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.