Background to the Feast of the Annunciation:

The Solemnity of the Annunciation celebrates the
coming of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce to her the special
mission God had chosen for her in being the mother of His only son.

We are continually reminded of the importance of
this feast to our salvation in various devotional prayers. Two examples that
highlight the importance of this feast are the Angelus and the joyous mysteries
of the Rosary.

This feast is very important in the defence of
the life of unborn children. Even with small children, this is a good day to
begin teaching about the high value God places on human life. He loved us so
much that he became one of us, took on our human nature and became an innocent,
completely dependent infant.

Creating a Sacred Space in your home can help focus on the sense of the sacred

Luke 1: 26 – 38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary and he came to her and said, "Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He 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.  He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."  Mary said to the angel, "How can
this be, since I am a virgin?" 

The 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. And 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. For nothing will be impossible with God." Then 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.

Reflection on Mary at the time of the Annunciation

Although Nazareth was off the beaten track and a sleepy enough place, Mary’s experience ranged far beyond the confines of the little village. There is a bustle about her going ‘with haste’ to visit her cousin Elizabeth in the hill country of Judah. She travelled to Bethlehem for the census and after that to Egypt. Every year, Joseph and Mary went up to Jerusalem. She went to Capernaum with Jesus and his disciples (Jn.2:12) and was back again in Jerusalem for the fateful days of the Passion (Jn.19:25-27). The last we hear of her in the New Testament, she is in the Upper Room with the
apostles, some other women and the brothers of Jesus united in prayer (Acts 1.14)

Mary had the ability to take swift and decisive action. She went ‘with haste’ to visit Elizabeth. To some extent she joined her son in his ministry. She goes with the group to Capernaum and Jerusalem. The Gospel of Luke notes the thoughtful, reflective aspect of Mary. On two occasions, he describes her mulling over the whole thing in her mind as she went about her life (Lk.2:19, 51). The Magnificat tells of her radical sense of justice and her ability to express trenchant social criticism (Lk.1:46-55).

It is not difficult to imagine her dressed in a tunic of undyed wool. Hands and fingers roughened from years of work in the fields. The whole village would help out in times of planting, weeding, gleaning, picking. Her face would be burnt brown, lined and worn by the sun and hard work.

Her face would have reflected many an emotion: tense with fear on the flight to
Egypt, calm in repose, warm in love, cross with anxiety  when they found the child in Jerusalem, her eyes bright as a button, alert, intelligent, flashing with humour or outrage.

Benedict Hegarty.

Find details for praying the Angelus by clicking the link below:

https://www.armaghprays.com/angelus

Pray the Rosary and Especially The First Joyful Mystery – The Annunciation

The Archangel Gabriel “announces” to Mary that she shall conceive the
Son of God

Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary

The Annunciation: The Archangel Gabriel "announces" to Mary that she shall conceive the Son of God.

The Visitation: Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist.

The Nativity: Jesus is born

The Presentation: Mary and Joseph "present" Jesus in the Temple where they meet Simeon.

The Finding in the Temple: After losing Him, Mary and Joseph find young Jesus teaching the Rabbis in the Temple.

Please find a link below to Magherafelt Parish’s resources on ‘The Rosary’

https://magherafeltparish.org/prayer-resources/praying-the-rosary

What does Mary’s “Yes” say to  us?

The encounter between Mary and the Angel opens up the meaning of our own lives, by shedding light on our call to participate in God's loving plan.

Mary, in her selflessness, was open to the angel´s visit. She recognized
who was speaking. She listened, received and responded. In so doing, she shows us the way to respond to the Lord's call in our own lives. God initiates a relationship with each one of us - and we respond in surrendering freely to him by accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Not just once, but daily. This dynamic, our free response to the Lord's invitations, leads to a dialogue, a conversation, a way of life.

Ideas for Outreach:

Try to spend some time thinking of Mary’s confusion and the upheaval to her life because of the request to become the Mother of God. 

• What is this saying to us now at this time? 

• Do we know anyone who is going through a difficult time now? 

Decide on ONE thing that you can do to help them today.

Bringing Parish Home

Killaloe Diocese has created this wonderful resource that gives some advice on how we can ‘Bring Parish Home’ during these uncertain and difficult times.Bringing Parish Home