"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word" (Lk 1:38).
And with that, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (see Jn 1:14).
If that doesn't send a chill right down deep into your bones, nothing will.
Mary spoke, and God became Man. Creation consented to the Word of God, and the new creation occurred. God said, "Let there be light," and the created order said yes through the mouth of a woman, through the mouth of Mary. "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world," (Jn 1:9) into Mary's womb, into time and history.
That, my friends and fellow believers, is the Annunciation.
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
"Hail, Mary! Full of grace, the Lord is with thee" - the Lord is within thee. Him whom the heavens cannot contain is enclosed within the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary. "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."
We say the words and pray the prayers that proclaim the Incarnation to the world. But do we hear what we are saying? Others do, and they marvel. "How can you really believe that? Do you really believe that God became man? Does that change how you behave towards your fellow human beings, knowing that you are surrounded by men and women who look like God, who are meant to enter into communion with God and live forever?"
Saint Faustina described in her Diary some of the consequences of Christ's Incarnation:
Once after Holy Communion, I heard these words: "You are our dwelling place." At that moment I felt in my soul the presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I felt that I was the Temple of God. I felt that I was a child of the Father. I cannot explain all this, but the Spirit understands this well (Diary, 451).
Now, St. Faustina was a great mystic, but what she's describing isn't just an experience for great mystics. It's an ordinary part of Christian life. Don't believe me? Just look at what Scripture has to say:
Jesus answered and said to him, "Whoever loves Me will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. - Jn 14:23
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, Whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? - 1 Cor 6:19
Through these, He has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. - 2 Pt 1:4
We shall be sons in the Son of God, partakers of the Divine Nature, all because God asked if Mary would consent to bear the Son - and Mary said yes. (To learn more about all this, check out Fr. Michael's book The 'One Thing' Is Three.)
So on this feast of the Annunciation, remember the Incarnation - and rejoice.
If you consecrated to Jesus through Mary or completed the Consoling the Heart of Jesus retreat, we'd love to hear your story. Please take a moment and share your journey below. If you have pictures, we'd love to see them, too. Just email them to HAPP@Marian.org!
