The annunciation

[MoreCoffee]

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her,

‘Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you.’​

She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her,

‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ ​

Mary said to the angel,

‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’​

‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ​

‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’​

said Mary

‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.​

God's greatest act of mercy is described above. He became a human being. His purpose was to redeem humanity. To accomplish this purpose He would need to die. His death came about thirty three years after his conception. The annunciation is about the incarnation of God.

 

[Josiah]

Are Catholics wrong?


In my Catholic days, our teachers told us that Mary said, "how can this be" because she thought the conception/incarnation would be LONG in the future - years in the future from the Annunciation (even though she asks the question in the present tense). They stressed that while Scripture doesn't remotely indicate that, Catholic Tradition says that. Obviously, this verse (we were taught) proves that Mary considered herself to be a PERPETUAL virgin - it proves she thought that years in the future, when this prophecy would finally, eventually be fulfilled, she'd STILL be a virgin. We were taught it proves the Perpetual Virginity of Mary.

Yet... even as a kid.... I noted that Catholic Tradition places the Annunciation on March 25. Hum.... why March 25? Well, Catholic Tradition put Christmas at December 25.... count back 9 months and viola - March 25. SO.... Catholic Tradition teaches that the Conception/Incarnation happened on the same day (if not at the same second) as the Annunciation.

AHHHH..... at probably the age of 10.... I realized the problem. Either Catholic Tradition is wrong and the Incarnation did not happen at the same time as the Annunciation or the Catholic Church is wrong to use this verse to prove the Perpetual Virginity of Mary. It seems FAR, FAR more likely that IF Catholic Tradition is right here and the conception happened along with the Annunciation, then Mary's question (given in the present tense) regards her position ON THAT DAY, "I AM a virgin." It has nothing whatsoever to do with whether she thought she'd still be a virgin 14 years in the future (much less on the day of her death/undeath). As a Catholic kid, I had so many moments like that....


How I see it....


- Josiah

 

[MoreCoffee]

The first post in this thread is mainly a quote from the gospel according to saint Luke.

 

[Lamb]

Is it more proper to say the annunciation of Mary, the annunciation of the Lord or does it not really make a difference?

 

[MoreCoffee]

Is it more proper to say the annunciation of Mary, the annunciation of the Lord or does it not really make a difference?

Technically it is the annunciation by the angel Gabriel to the blessed Virgin Mary about the coming Incarnation of God the Son in the womb of Blessed Mary.

 

[Lamb]

Technically it is the annunciation by the angel Gabriel to the blessed Virgin Mary about the coming Incarnation of God the Son in the womb of Blessed Mary.

Yes, technically that is true.

At my church we say the annunciation of the Lord.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Yes, technically that is true.

At my church we say the annunciation of the Lord.

We call the feast "the feast of the annunciation".