The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-03-25
ANNUNClATIoN OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN MARY.


The fact of the annunciation of the
Blessed Virgin Is related in Luke i,
1888. The Evangelist tells us that in
the sixth month after the conception
Of st. John the Baptist by Elizabeth,
the Angel Gabriel was sent from God
to the Virgin Mary, at Nazareth, a
small town in the mountains of Cali
lee. Mary was of the house of David,
and was espoused Il. e. married) to
Joseph, OF the same royal family. She
had, however, not yet entered the
household OF her spouse, but was still
in her mothers house working, per
haps, over her dowry. And the angel
having taken the figure and the form
of man, came into the house and said
to her: Hail, full of grace the Lord
is with thee" Mary having heard the
greeting words did not speak; she
was troubled in spirit, since she knew
not the angel, nor the cause if his
coming, nor the meaning of the saluta-
ton. And the angel continued and
said: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast
found grace with God. Behold thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt
bring forth a son; and thou shalt call
his name Jesus He shall be great,
and shall be called the Son of the Most
High; and the Lord shall give unto
Him the throne of David, his father;
and He shall reign in the house of
Jacob forever. And of His kingdom
there shall be no end" The Virgin
understood that there was question of
the coming Redeemer. But, why should
she be elected from amongst women
for the splendid dignity of being the
mother OF the Messiah, having vowed
her virginity to God? Therefore, not
doubling the word of God, like Zach
ary. but filled with fear and aston
ishment, she said: How shall this
be done, because I know not MANI"
The angel to remove Mary's anxiety
and to assure her that her virgnity
should be spared, answered.: "The
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and
the power Of the Most High shall over
shadow thee And therefore also the
Holy which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God" In token
of the truth of his word he made
known to her the conception of st.
John, the miraculous pregnancy OF her
relative now old and sterile: "And be-
hold, thy cousin Elizabeth; she also
has conceived son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month with her
that is called barren: because no word
shall be impossible with God" Mary
may not yet have fully understood the
meaning of the heavenly message and
how the maternity might be reconciled
with her vow of virginity, but clinging
to the first words of the angel and
trusting to the Omnipotence of God
she said: Behold the handmade OF
the Lord, be it done to me according
to thy word"
The opinion that Joseph at the time
of the Annunciation was an aged
wfdower and Mary twelve or fifteen
years of age, is founded only upor
apocryphal documents. The loca
tradition of Nazareth pretends that the
angel met Mary and greeted her at the
fountain, and when she fled from hin
in fear he followed her into the house
and there continued his message. The
year and day of the Annunciation can
not be determined as long as new
material does not throw more light OF
: the subject. The present date of the
feast (25 March,, depends upon thu
date Of the older feast of Christmas
The Annunciation is the beginning
of Jesus in His human nature. Through
His mother He Is member of tn,
human race. II the virginity of Mar.
before, during, and after the concep
ton OF her Divine Son was always con
sidered part of the deposit of tn
of the historical facts and testimonials
The Incarnation of the Son of God di
not in itself necessitate this exception
from the laws of nature. Only rea
sons of expediency are given for II
chiefly, the end of the Incarnation
About to found new generation of tn
children of God, the Redeemer doe
not arrive in way of earthly genera
tfons: the power of the Holy Spirit er
ters the chaste womb of the Virgin
forming the humanity of Christ Man
holy fathers say that the consent G
Mary was essential to the redemption
1t was the will of God, st. Thoma
says, that the redemption of mankin
should depend upon the consent of tn
Virgin Mary, This does not mean tina
God in His plans was bound by tn
will Of creature, and that man woul
not have been redeemed, if Mary ha
not consented. 1t only means that tn
consent of Mary was foreseen from a
eternity, and therefore was receive
as essential into the design of God.
The Catholic Encyclopedia.