The Book of the Holy Rosary: Part I, Chapter II. The Annunciation
The Holy Scripture Narrative
“The Angel Gabriel was sent from God, into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.
“And the angel being come in said unto her: Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women. Mary hearing these words was troubled at his saying, and thought within herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: 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 God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: and therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a 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.
And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her” (St Luke i. 26).
On coming to consider the words spoken by the Archangel Gabriel, we cannot fail to perceive that he is in very truth made the messenger of wondrous tidings. Of such marvellous import indeed is the announcement of which he is the bearer, that, except the way for its being communicated had been, in methods too various to enumerate, diligently prepared beforehand by the wisdom of God, it would have been too stupendous for human belief. For what is it in sum that is announced? It is nothing less than that God Himself is about to come upon the earth, to make Himself visible, and to show Himself, that He may converse visibly face to face with His rational creatures. He is not about to come after the manner in which Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied to the world before the Flood that He would come, saying: “Behold the Lord cometh with thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all, and to reprove all the ungodly for all the works of their ungodliness” (Jude i. 14). He is to come to restore joy and gladness to the earth, and to show to His creatures, in His own Divine Person, the good way in which they may walk.
He sent, then, as we learn from this mystery, an archangel to announce His coming; for His coming is part of the divine plan that has been predetermined from all eternity. But all previous experience of such visitors from the unseen world has been that they have invariably inspired dread and terror to those to whom they have been sent. Of what kind, then, will the coming of the Lord of all be in His own person? For example, when the angel who came from heaven to announce to Manue and his wife the birth of their son Samson was seen by them to ascend towards heaven in the flame of the sacrifice from the altar, Manue and his wife fell flat on the ground in an extremity of terror (Judges xiii. 20). In the same manner, after the Archangel Raphael had made himself known to the family of Tobias, the whole family lay prostrate on their faces for the space of three hours (Tob. xii. 22). When Daniel saw the vision of the angel who appeared to him by the river Tigris, he says: “I fainted away, and I retained no strength, and when I heard the voice of his words I lay in a consternation on my face” (Dan. x. 8). If, then, those who were but messengers from the throne of God, and who came as fellow-servants to their other fellow-servants, could not help causing such consternation to those to whom they came that they fell on their faces to the ground, who will be able to survive the terror of the coming of the very King Himself who sitteth upon the throne?
“Will not all flee from before His face, and hide themselves in the clefts of the rocks and in the holes of the mountains, from before the fear of the Lord and from the glory of His majesty” (Isa. ii. 21). How may it ever be made to come to pass that the Advent of the King who sitteth on the throne shall be a source of universal joy, and its record that of a joyful mystery of the faith of the Church?
The accomplishment of this wonder that the coming of the King of kings should be a cause of joy and gladness to the whole world, and not a cause of terror, we owe to the immaculate and blessed Virgin Mary. When she spoke the auspicious words to the holy archangel, “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word,” then the wonder was accomplished. It has been decreed, in the eternal counsels of God, that He who sitteth upon the throne between the cherubim should become the Son of Man and a child of Adam; and when He had condescended to make choice of the most blessed Virgin Mary for His mother, Mary set her seal to the joy of the world by accepting Him for her son.
St Peter Damian says, “That we owe in this respect so great a debt of gratitude to Mary, that her very nativity is deservedly to be considered as an occasion of the most exalted joy; inasmuch as the whole of human redemption took its beginning from her. For as God Almighty foresaw, in His unspeakable providence, before He created man, that man would fall by the machinations of the devil, so in the bowels of His unfathomable mercy He predetermined His plan for the redemption of man before the world was made. For as it was impossible that the redemption of man could be accomplished unless God were to be born of a virgin, so it was necessary that a virgin should be born of whom the Eternal Word might take flesh. It was consequently requisite that the house should first be built in which the Heavenly King might condescend to take up His dwelling. Of this house it is that Solomon speaks when he says, ‘Wisdom hath built herself a house, she hath hewn out for herself seven pillars’ (Prov. ix.) Thus it was that the virginal house came into being, supported by its seven pillars; for the venerable Mother of God was endowed with the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and the fear of the Lord. She was the building which the Eternal Wisdom, that reacheth in its strength from end to end, and disposeth all things sweetly (Wisd. viii. 1), constructed that it might be meet to receive Him, and clothe Him with flesh in her most pure womb” (St Peter Damian, Sermon on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin).
“God dwells among men,” exclaims St Andrew of Jerusalem. “God, to whom no space can set limits, is borne in the womb of a virgin. From hence human nature derives the prelude of its joy, and obtains the first beginnings of its union with the Godhead. From hence our first creation is renovated, and puts off its old apparel. ‘Therefore let the heavens above rejoice, and the clouds rain down justice’ (Isa. xlv. 8). ‘Let the mountains distil sweetness, and the hills joy’ (Joel iii. 18). For the Lord hath had mercy on His people. The mystery that was concealed for ages is now made manifest’ (Eph. iii. 9), and all things are taken up again, and restored in Christ as the Head (Eph. i. 10). This is the counsel of God at which the angels rejoice, and men share their joy; the whole world is renewed, and is again restored to itself. What mind, what tongue can worthily conceive of these things? Words cannot utter them, and the ear cannot comprehend them. With reason, therefore, do we hold our joyous festive solemnity, and meet together to celebrate with rejoicing the wonderful mercy shown to the whole human race. But what, I shall be asked, is the joy that we celebrate? Plainly it is the rejoicing of the whole of creation at its renewal and restoration. We rejoice for the glad tidings of great joy in that the goodness of God has condescended to look in mercy upon His creation of men. This is our festive rejoicing for the salvation of the whole world. But from whence and from whom do these glad tidings come, and to whom are they sent? They come from heaven—from God; and they are sent to a virgin espoused to a man named Joseph, and the name of the virgin is Mary” (Sermon on the Annunciation).
“This day (the Annunciation),” says St John Damascene, “is the beginning of our salvation. On this day the Son of God, who was anterior to all time, becomes the Son of Man. This day is the beginning of the restoration of human nature, and of the blotting out of the sin of creation. On this day our nature has been sanctified by the indwelling in it of its Creator. On this day it has been raised to the dignity of holding dominion over archangels. On this day the time predicted by the prophets is fully come. This is the day which saints have desired to see. On this day Adam has built a temple for his Creator in one of his own daughters, in which He might deign to dwell concealed, and thus become our Redeemer. This temple is Mary, the virgin; precious, blessed, and holy, the pure and stainless offshoot of Adam’s nature, the Queen of the whole family of men. So pure that none can be found purer in the whole human race; so holy, that none among all intelligent creatures shall ever surpass her in holiness. She is the glory of the people of Israel, and the light of the house of David. This is she, the Beauty whose purity the Heavenly King desired, sending to her His ministering spirit Gabriel to salute her with a salutation of great joy, and to acquaint her that she has been chosen by her Creator, saying, ‘Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women!’” (Sermon on the Annunciation.)
“Gabriel,” says the Bishop of Ancyra, “marvels at her calmness of composure and self-possession; and on coming to lay at her feet a double crown of joy and benediction, he addresses her, ‘Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou, O most comely and most beautiful of women. The Lord is with thee, O thou who art all that is good, glorious, and venerable! The Lord is with thee, thou chosen and peerless one, surpassing all created brightness, in whom every beam of light finds its centre! Worthy art thou of God, that thou shouldest be blessed of Him! I greatly admire thy modesty, O thou elect one! Fear not, Mary, thou Bride of God, and pledge given to His saints! It is no conceiving in iniquity or birth in sin’ (Ps. l.) that I am about to announce to thee, but tidings of great joy, that are to blot out and cancel the sorrow of Eve! It is no intelligence of a childbirth of pain and suffering that I communicate to thee, but of one that will cause joy and consolation! It is no sad and mournful maternity of which I bring to thee the tidings, but the rising of the Day Star of light for the whole world! Through thee the sorrows of Eve have passed away, calamities have ceased, error is put to flight, the malediction is blotted out, and Eve is redeemed!” (Theodotus, Sermon on the Glories of Mary.)
David, Mary’s royal forefather, had said, “My brethren, hear me: the Lord God of Israel hath chosen His chief men from the house of Juda, and from the house of Juda He hath chosen the house of my father; but from the house of my father it hath pleased Him to choose me, that I should be king over all Israel” (1 Par. xxviii. 4). Mary, the daughter of the royal tribe of Juda, and of the house of David, says of her election in the same manner, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, for He hath had respect to the lowliness of His handmaiden.” From among all the virgins of Juda, and all the daughters of the house of David, Mary may say, It hath pleased Him to choose me. “Hearken, ye isles, and give ear, ye people that are afar off, the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the womb of my mother hath He remembered my name. He hath set me as His chosen arrow, and hath hid me in His quiver” (Isa. xlix. 1, 2).
“God is not a man that He should lie, or the son of man that He should be changed” (Num. xxiii. 19); “and the gifts and calling of God,” says St Paul, “are without repentance” (Rom. xi. 29). In making choice of Mary, therefore, God has challenged all generations of men to behold and contemplate on what sort of a daughter of man He Himself has fixed His choice. “What can be more noble,” writes St Ambrose, “than the Mother of God? What can exceed in brightness her whom the Brightness itself has chosen? What can be more chaste than she who has been raised to the dignity of a virgin maternity? Of all her other excellences,” he says, “how shall I dare to speak? She was a virgin, not in person only, but also in mind. One who never tainted the sincerity of her affection by any admixture of deceit. Humble of heart, grave of utterance, prudent in mind, reserved in speech, fond of reading, placing her trust not in uncertain riches, but rather in the prayers of the poor, intent on her work, modest in her words, wont to refer her thoughts to God as their judge rather than to man, careful to hurt no one, full of good-will to all, an enemy to all boasting, a listener to reason, and a lover of virtue” (Treatise on Virgins, book ii.)
Of a truth in Mary, the calling of God is without repentance. Let us hear St Peter Chrysologus: “It is Mary who has given glory to the heavens, to the earth a God, to vices an end, to life its good order, to morals their rule of discipline. The grace of which an angel was the messenger a virgin hath accepted to communicate it to all generations. O thou of a truth most blessed Virgin, to whom it has been given to unite the glory of virginity with the dignity of mother! O most blessed among women, who hast merited to obtain the privilege of a heaven-sent conception, and the crown of virginal integrity! Most truly blessed daughter, that has gained God for thine own Son, and yet remainest Queen of virgins!” (Sermon on the Prerogatives of Mary.)
“As the cool water,” says the sacred proverb, “is to the thirsty soul, so is a messenger of good tidings from a far country” (Prov. xxv. 25). When, up to that time, had a messenger ever come to the earth the bearer of more joyful tidings than those which were entrusted to the holy Archangel Gabriel? “Forasmuch,” says St Leo, “as the devil boasted that man, deceived by his machinations, now lay stripped of his divine gifts and denuded of the dowry of his immortality, being subjected to the hard penalty of death; and forasmuch as his seducer found a kind of consolation in the thought of having gained for himself a companion in his guilt, there was need of a secret dispensation in the counsels of God, in virtue of which, God, who is unchangeable, might fill up the measure of His mercy, and man, who was brought into transgression by the deceit of the devil, might not perish, contrary to the purpose of God. When the time, therefore, for the redemption of man, which had been predetermined, was come, Jesus Christ, lowering Himself down from His throne in heaven, yet not departing from the glory of the Father, entered our lower world in a new order, and by a miraculous birth” (Sermon on the Birth of Christ).
This new order, and this miraculous birth, was accomplished in Mary, to whom, first of all creatures, the glad tidings were brought by the heavenly messenger. “Hail Virgin, most blessed among women!” exclaims St Ephrem. “Hail most beautiful and precious vessel chosen of God! Hail Lady full of grace! Hail thou brightest star from whom Christ has come forth! Hail thou joy of the whole human race! Hail thou praise and glory of the patriarchs and prophets! Hail thou bright ornament of the martyrs and crown of the saints! Hail thou sweet flower of the religious, and joy of the solitaries! Hail thou most shining gem of the ecclesiastical hierarchy! Hail thou surpassing wonder of the whole world! Hail thou delight of the inhabitants of the earth! Hail thou paradise of pleasure, fountain of every sweetness and of immortality!” (St Ephrem, Sermon on the Praises of Mary.)
Oh, how can we enough record Our grateful thanks to Israel’s Lord, For sending us, in this the hour Of Juda’s fast departing power, Of Juda’s crime, and Juda’s shame, This treasure of immortal fame, This earnest of the Father’s love, This pure and spotless turtle-dove, This paradisal prodigy, This flower of immortality?”
— The Mosque of Mary, E.C.‸