On April 8 the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, commemorating the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to inform her that she was to be the mother of our Savior.
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:26-28
After giving her consent to God’s word, Mary conceives Jesus in her womb and becomes the mother of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. God becomes incarnate in the womb of a woman, and “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14).
This solemnity helps us to recognize the gift of new life from its very beginning. It calls us to reflect on how we are to care for, protect, and welcome new life, as the Blessed Mother did for the Christ child.
