Today is March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation.
At today’s Mass, we hear the familiar scene of the angel Gabriel coming to Mary and announcing to her good news: she will conceive by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God. How does the angel greet her? With wondrous words: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28).
During Lent, the Church sings a beautiful Marian hymn that begins similarly:
Hail, Queen of Heaven.
Hail, Lady of Angels
Hail, thou root, hail, thou gate
From whom into the world, a light has arisen.
During Lent, we remember that our help and salvation come through Mary. It was her “yes,” which we hear today in the Gospel, that allows us to hope during our forty days of Lent.
We do penance because we know that God will save us. We cry out to God in prayer because we know that God will come to us. We mortify our senses because we know God will speak to us, for his Word has spoken to us in our own flesh.
The light of salvation
God has shown his face to us. He has sacrificed his life for us and redeemed us. All of this came through the simple “yes” of the Blessed Virgin Mary: “May it be done to me according to your word.” She is the door through whom the light of salvation descends upon us:
Rejoice, glorious Virgin,
Lovely above all others,
Farewell, most beautiful maiden,
And pray for us to Christ.
Mary rejoices with us. She is joyful that we are working out our salvation with fear and trembling. She is happy knowing that we have entered the desert with her Son to become more like him. During these forty days, we look to her and ask for her joyful presence to be with us. Whenever we end this chant, we bid her farewell, knowing that she remains with her Son praying for us.
We are not alone in the desert. Mary is with us, a lovely presence in the barren desert, giving us comfort and hope that God will save us from our sins.
Let us pray,
O God, who willed that your Word should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man, may merit to become partakers even in his divine nature. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
