Simple Thoughts on the Rosary: Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation
I.—The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.—John i.
And in the sixth month 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. Who having heard was troubled at his saying, and thought with 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.—(Luke 1:26–38.)
See the spot—Nazareth amid the hills. At the bottom of a steep street—the little town above it—a small stone building in front of a cave, the door opening into the chamber of the Annunciation. See our Lady at prayer: the Angel entering and kneeling to salute her.
II.—The Lord of all things hath loved her.—Wisd. vii.
A divine romance: the Lord of heaven and earth offering the most sublime of alliances to a girl of fourteen: sending a suitable ambassador on such a mission, one of the seven who stand before God to the chosen Mother of God.
She must have been a wonderful girl, profoundly interesting, even from a simply natural point of view. Her own words show her to have been steeped in the history and traditions of her race. Its sacred lore had been her meditation from childhood. The promises “to Abraham and to our fathers” filled her imagination and heart. And as a Jewish maiden she longed, above all private and personal blessings, for His coming who was to be the glory of Israel.
The intercourse between Mary and her Creator was free, direct, uninterrupted. No obstruction of sin or imperfection, no attachment to anything of this world impeded the flow of her affections towards Him. Through all its avenues her soul lay open to the divine influences. By day and by night there flowed into it an unbroken stream of grace. Mary knew that God had done great things for her, and she responded with perfect fidelity. Never a moment’s faltering, never a thought, word, or deed that fell short of His desires. Thus, when the supreme hour of her life came, she was ready.
We read in the Scriptures how God was wont to bid His servants prepare themselves for His special favours. Moses was ordered to take off his shoes before drawing near to the burning bush, and to dispose himself by forty days’ fast for converse with God on Sinai. The lips of Isaias were cleansed that they might declare divine things. Judith and Esther prepared by fasting and self-humiliation for the work to which they were called. But when the mystery of the Annunciation was to be announced to Mary, God saw there was no need of any conscious preparation on her part. He was not unmindful of what was due to Him. He knew what His infinite dignity required in the Mother He had chosen. And Mary’s dispositions satisfied him. “Quem meruisti portare,” whom thou didst deserve to bear.
Unforeseen occurrences that call upon us for immediate action reveal what we are. The Annunciation revealed Mary. There are those who refuse to accept the history on the ground that such self-possession and self-control in a child argues a height of virtue, not improbable only, but superhuman and impossible. And surely we are right in believing that none but Mary would have stood the test. Her midnight prayer interrupted by the salutation of an Archangel; the whole plan of her life reversed; a dignity without a parallel offered for her acceptance—and her mind retains its balance undisturbed. When this same Angel showed himself to Daniel, “there remained no strength in him, and he fainted away, and lay in a consternation upon his face.”—(Daniel 10.) Mary is troubled indeed for a little space, but at his words, not at his appearance. She treats with him of the advent of the long-expected Messias, the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Redemption of the human race. There is no surprise, no elation, no protestation of unworthiness. Her sole thought is to ascertain the Will of God, and, when this is declared, to accept it with all it involves, because it is His Will.
O, marvellous child, mature in the difficult virtues to which saints at the end of their course scarcely attain, truly thy foundations are upon the holy mountains, where shall thy consummation be!
III.—While all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of her course Thy Almighty Word leapt down from Heaven.—Wisd. xviii.
The world was in peace. All things were in quiet silence in Nazareth, in Joseph’s little home, in Mary’s chamber. There was a deeper stillness than usual in Mary’s ever peaceful heart, for the Prince of Peace was on His way to her. Her heart was watching and praying as was its wont, pleading with a vehemence of supplication such as had never risen from earth before: “Send forth, O Lord, the Lamb, the Ruler of the earth” (Is. 16); “O that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down!” (Is. 64); “O God, make haste” (Ps. 70); “O God, be not slack!” (Ps. 39). Yet no sound broke on the stillness. “While all things were in quiet silence Thy Almighty Word leapt down from heaven.” “Let all flesh be silent at the presence of the Lord; for He is risen up out of His holy habitation.”—(Zach. 2.) And Mary bowed herself down to adore, for God had come: “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”—(John 1.) All things are in quiet silence around the altar, priest and people awaiting the daily Advent. “Be silent before the face of the Lord God, for the Lord hath prepared a Victim.”—(Soph. 1.) In the hush He comes as He came at Nazareth. The Word made flesh dwells among us. And like Mary, we fall down and adore.
O Prince of Peace, O Word of God, let there be quiet silence in my soul when in Holy Communion Thou comest to dwell with me. Let there be quiet in my memory and in my imagination. Let my senses be held in check, and the sights and sounds of earth be banished for the brief moments of Thy stay. Lay Thy hand upon my troubled heart. Say to its passions, its cares, its restless desires: “Peace, be still!” that in the stillness I may hear what the Lord God will speak in me.
IV.—The Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name was Mary.—Luke i.
(1) See Mary at prayer; notice her stillness, her reverence, her application.
(2) See the Angel entering; note his attitude as he says:) “Hail, full of grace!”
(3) See Mary troubled, but preserving her presence of mind; not interrupting, not answering; finding out the character of the message before committing herself.
(4) Note the admirable delicacy and prudence of her questions and her answers.
(5) Observe how absolutely she effaces self, seeking one thing only—to know God’s good pleasure.
(6) Watch with the eyes of faith the scene around this girl of fourteen—patriarchs, prophets, and kings, her ancestors, the saints of the ancient covenant, look upon her with paternal affection, admiration, and hope. The angelic hosts expect the “Fiat” that is to repair their ranks. The Eternal Trinity awaits her consent, to carry into effect the decree for the redemption of man.
(7) Hear the worship, self-abasement, obedience, thankfulness, abandonment to God, in her “Ecce ancilla Domini.”
(8) Adore with Gabriel, with the whole angelic host, with all saints of the Old and New Covenants the Word made flesh.
(9) Rejoice at the infinite glory God may receive from One of our race.
(10) Invite Him who came to Mary to come to you in Holy Communion. “Come, Lord Jesus!”
V.—The Most High hath sanctified his own tabernacle.—Ps. xlv. But fourteen years and full of grace, A shrine so fair, That God must needs content Himself By dwelling there.
O wondrous child, sole confidant Of the Most High, Sole arbiter with Him, of our Dread destiny, Speak! mid creation’s silence be Thy “Fiat” heard; His swift response, thy God Himself, The Eternal Word.
VI.—My heart delighted in her.—Ecclus. li.
(1) Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee (Cant. 4).
(2) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day of thy creation (Ezechiel 28).
One is My dove, My perfect one is but one (Cant. 6).
(3) Hearken, O daughter, and see and incline thy ear... and the King shall greatly desire thy beauty, for He is the Lord thy God (Ps. 44).
(4) Behold the joy that cometh to thee from God! (Baruch 4).
(5) Behold the Lord God shall come! (Isaias 40).
(6) Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty (Isaias 33).
(7) My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His name (Luke 1).
(8) Joy is come upon me from the Holy One (Baruch 4).
(9) I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing to thy name, O Thou Most High (Ps. 9).
(10) I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus (Habacuc 3).