Celebrating the Annunciation and Incarnation

 

Annunciation, Restoring the Liturgy.

A Sunday Solution ?

Complete Text: 

The Annunciation used to be a holy day of obligation and was celebrated by everyone in the universal Church. The goal of this article is to help restore the active participation for the average lay Catholic in his celebration of that all important feast. And it examines the feasibility of moving this feast to a Sunday celebration during Lent.  It fits perfectly into that season and it would enhance our observance of Lent by reflecting on the two most perfect examples who sacrificed worldly pleasures to do the will of our heavenly Father.  And Jesus and Mary give us the perfect reason for their choice which was out of pure love for the Father.

 

Sections:

Introduction – The Necessity of Evangelization for Ourselves and Others

The Importance of the Solemnity of the Annunciation/Incarnation

Benefits of Increasing our Emphasis on Annunciation/Incarnation:

1. Pro-Life Benefits

2. Increase the Foundation for Marian Devotion

3. Celebrating a Better Lent

4. Celebrating a Better Easter

Possible Solution ?

A solution for consideration would be to celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation/Incarnation every year on the Sunday closest to March 25, but no later than the Sunday prior to Passion (Palm) Sunday.

Proposed new Name for this Solemnity :

“The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Good News to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 9 Months before Christmas”

Introduction – The Necessity of Evangelization for Ourselves and Others

Jesus accepted His mission to teach us the Good News even while knowing that it would lead Him to the cross. (See separate web page on Jesus’ Mission)

Our faith, that He is the Messiah and that His teachings are good, is a gift that we could have never earned. We show our gratitude for that gift by our worship of Him and by our sharing of that life-giving Good News with others who need it as much as we do.

Pope John Paul II proclaimed that this is the time for a new evangelization with the coming of the new millennium. He invited the whole Church to focus on the 2000th  anniversary of the coming of the Messiah.  This new evangelization did not end with the coming of the year 2001, but rather it is meant to continue throughout this millennium.  I believe what John Paul II began here on earth, he is continuing to work toward up in heaven by his prayers to our Savior Jesus Christ. 

In obedience to John Paul II’s general instruction Monsignor Anthony LaFemina painted the above Icon. (He also painted one on the Eucharist, which was a theme of the year 2000.)

We are in a SpringTime of a new evangelization.  And the goal of this web page is to offer suggestions on how we can Tap into that Power.

A time to grow

Change can be painful at times, but if we are going to grow and become better persons it is inevitable.  While one might have the talents, wisdom, and graces to handle today’s challenges, tomorrow’s challenges remain unpredictable.  There is plenty of reason not to be complacent or presumptuous. 

1 Peter 5:8    “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour.”

Studying, meditating, and learning about the truths God has revealed should not be looked upon as a burden to be overcome, but rather as opportunity to grow more deeply into what is the most loving relationship possible for us, our relationship with God.

Most of us celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations.  And we have all the more reason to celebrate the important events in the life of Jesus because He is God.

John 3:16    “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son …”

The mysteries of the Annunciation and Incarnation are like dynamite waiting for us to tap into their awesome power. They offer us the opportunity to grow much more deeply in love with God by meditating on them because they are like spiritual goldmines.

Questions to Consider:

1. How important is the Annunciation/Incarnation and what are the spiritual fruits that can be drawn from it ?

2. What would be the benefits of moving the celebration of the Solemnity of the Annunciation to a Sunday observance, whereas now it is only celebrated on a weekday ? 

3. And could the obstacles, such as being “outranked” by the Christological feasts of Lent and Easter, which would tend to prevent the move to Sunday be overcome ?

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The Importance of the Solemnity of the Annunciation/Incarnation

The Catechism of the Catholic Church  

“The coming of God’s Son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed to prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything converge on Christ: all the rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the ‘First Covenant.’ ”

 (CCC)    522 

The Incarnation is the turning point in all of human history (BC to AD). 

This Solemnity offers the Church a rich and powerful means of evangelization.  However, in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Rite the Christological feasts of Lent and Easter “out rank” this “Marian” feast.  And so the Solemnity of the Annunciation is always pushed to a weekday celebration. (For example see calendar for 2007 AD.)  And this is sad when we consider that only a few Catholics attend daily Mass.  The Annunciation/Incarnation is intrinsically tied to Good Friday and to the ultimate feast of Easter.  Christ could not have risen if He hadn’t died, and He couldn’t have died unless He had been Incarnated into a body.

 

·  AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Pope John Paul II
“The mystery of the Incarnation constitutes the climax of this giving, this divine self-communication.
The conception and birth of Jesus Christ are in fact the greatest work accomplished by the Holy Spirit in the history of creation and salvation: the supreme grace "the grace of union," source of every other grace, as St. Thomas explains.200 The great Jubilee refers to this work and also-if we penetrate its depths-to the author of this work, to the person of the Holy Spirit.”
(The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World, [#50]) 
200. Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theo. IIIa, q. 2, aa. 10-12; q. 6, a. 6; q. 7, a. 13.) 

 

HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI  
 Pope Benedict XVI
The coming of the Messiah, foretold by the Prophets, is qualitatively the most important event of all history, on which it confers its ultimate and full meaning. It is not historical and political coordinates that condition God's choice, but on the contrary, the event of the Incarnation that “fills” history with value and meaning.
(Homily of December 31, 2006)

Placing this all important Solemnity in a role of Sunday prominence in our sacred liturgical calendar would have numerous benefits. 

Only during the Solemnities of Christmas and the Annunciation does the Church call us to worship God with a genuflection when we profess the creed ( at the words “and by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary and became Man.”) 

The Paschal Mystery requires that God become a Man.  A person might suppose that God could have come into our physical world without being born, since He could have come as a fully grown man.  And so, Christmas is not inherently essential to our having the most important feasts of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  However, the Incarnation -  in some form - is indispensable and is therefore more important than Christmas. 

 

 

Benefits of Increasing our Emphasis on the Annunciation/Incarnation

1. Pro-Life Benefits

When a woman has an unwanted pregnancy it is all too often that she accepts the lie of our culture that her fetus is just a blob of tissue.  

And unfortunately, many Catholics have the perception that Jesus first came into the world at the first Christmas.  (And some believe the Immaculate Conception just a few weeks before Christmas celebrates Christ coming into the world.)

The Solemnity of the Annunciation, which is forgotten or ignored by many, offers the perfect evangelistic opportunity to proclaim the truth that while a miracle did happen at Christmas an even greater miracle happened nine months earlier when Jesus came to live inside of Mary’s womb. 

 

Proposed new Name for this Solemnity :

“The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the
Good News to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the
Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 9 Months before Christmas”

 

There is a danger that some Catholics who don’t know the Church well might mistakenly think that this feast was given some random date in the calendar.  This title above will make its connection to Christmas more obvious and the Pro-Life connotations will be subtly present even if the homilist does not give an explicit Pro-Life message.

Current Problem
 

There is a problem, or unfortunate circumstance, with our current liturgical calendar.  When most Catholics are asked, “When do we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world?” they will usually answer Christmas which is only partially correct.  A much more theologically correct answer would be the Annunciation, but many of the laity will often forget that or they are even more likely be unaware of the significance of this Solemnity and its role. 

This might be partly so because this Solemnity is often moved and the laity sometimes miss the 9 month connection with Christmas.  For example, in 2007 AD it was moved to Monday March 26.  In  the year 2005 it was moved to April 4.  The Annunciation is currently moved from March 25  34% of the time.  

However, a much bigger factor – in my opinion – of why this feast is often forgotten or ignored is because it is never celebrated on a Sunday ( in the Latin Rite).  Although more Catholics do attend weekday Mass during Lent, most Catholics do not, and those not attending weekday Mass are probably the ones in most need of the message.  However, a good case could be made that we all need it.

 

Question:

Couldn’t the celebration of the Visitation to Elizabeth by Mary offer an equally suitable substitute for the teaching on the value of human life ?

Response:

No. Not completely.
It is true that the feast of the Visitation is helpful.  And with over 1,000 abortions a day I would never want to discount any attempt at promoting the Pro-Life message.  However, the Visitation opens the debate about when human life begins.  While that feast would make the point that an abortion at six months is wrong, it would be very unclear about earlier abortions and the fuzzy notion of viability?  

People do not die to themselves and make major adjustments to their lives for the next 18 years for maybes and fuzzy notions.  It is only the Solemnity of the Annunciation/Incarnation that enables us to clearly explain, whether explicitly or implicitly, that human life begins at conception.  ( Abortionists love to make the issue fuzzy.  That is why they want to redefine pregnancy as being after implantation.  They know that arguments based on conception have strength precisely because they get past the fuzziness with precise explication.)

John Paul II
“The Gospel of life is for the whole of human society. To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life …”   Evangelum Vitae (The Gospel of Life) (#101)

As Pope John Paul II points out above, it is not enough to just claim to be Pro-Life.   We must find a way of bringing that message out into the world.  Presently, many Catholic girls are not yet fully convinced of that message.  With the Annunciation we have the opportunity to present that message a manner that is non-confrontational.  Even without talking about abortion and all that ugliness, we can speak clearly about the beauty of Life, and when human life begins.

2. Increase the Foundation for Marian Devotion

Marian Focus  - We honor Mary precisely because she is united to and in Christ


Proposed new Name for this Solemnity :

“The Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and
the Conception of Christ”

One of the big questions through the years was whether to use this feast to honor and focus on Mary or to honor and focus on Christ.  The Eastern Church centered on Christ and His Conception.  In the West during the Middle Ages the focus was on the Virgin Mary.

Presently, in the Latin Rite the Church recognizes both its Marian and Christological aspects.  It is considered a Marian feast that gets outranked by the Christological Lenten and Easter Sunday feasts, and yet Pope Benedict XVI points out that this feast is also a Christological feast.  (See quote below in the Solution section.)

In 1969 the Roman liturgical calendar “restored the feast as primarily a Solemnity of the Lord in which Mary, his mother, is intimately associated. The full title of the feast indicates its Christological focus—the Annunciation of the Lord—restoring its ancient name. …”
[Quote from ANNUNCIATION, New Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I, pages 476-477]

Should we think of this feast as a Marian feast or one honoring Christ ? And which do we do ?  Should we even try to make this feast specifically Marian or Christological and separate the two for this feast.

While separating Mary from Christ has some advantages it can also be misunderstood in a way that undermines both a knowledge of Christ as well as Marian devotion.  For example, many Protestants have Mary separated so far from Christ that not only do they not honor her, they see no reason to honor her.  They misperceive any devotion to her as being opposed to Christ. For them it is, “Jesus OR Mary.”

However, by celebrating both the Annunciation to Mary and the Incarnation of Christ together we can proclaim the bedrock upon which Marian devotion is based, that she is united to Christ.   All the glory goes to God who in turn manifests His glory in and through the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints.  He is the Source while we are called to be channels of that grace to the world.  
(See LUMEN GENTIUM 60 and 62, CCC  970.)

How can we honor both Jesus and Mary ?

Is it even right to try to do both ? How can Mary who is a creature, be honored in the same breath as God who is the Creator of all ?

However, think of Homer - and his Iliad, Shakespeare - and his plays, Einstein - and his Theory of Relativity.  Of course, we do not put these men and the values of their lives on equal par with their work.  And yet we cannot truly know the artist unless we also know his work.  And the greatest created work of God is the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

And so understood in the right sense, we can speak of both God and Mary, and I believe honor them both in way that helps us to know each of them better. - It was the Church’s teaching on Mary that helped dispel many of the early Christological heresies such as Nestorianism (Ephesus 431 AD.)  And, by emphasizing both God’s and Mary’s role and by moving this Solemnity to a Sunday will give the majority of Catholics the impetus to meditate on the foundation of Marian devotion, that she is united to her Son, Jesus Christ.

One convert pointed out that it was his meditation on this feast that led to his understanding and appreciation of Mary’s role in salvation and eventually led to his acceptance of the Catholic faith. 

Choosing to recognize this feast as on occasion to honor both God and Mary seems to have a historical foundation.  See article below on “Akathistos” from the New Catholic Encyclopedia.

 

From New Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I, pages 197-198

 

AKATHISTOS

“From the Greek ά-κάθισtος, meaning not seated, standing. It is perhaps the most celebrated hymn of the Byzantine Church, and belongs to the poetical genre known as kontakion (see Byzantine Rite, Chants Of). It is performed at the vigil service of the fifth Saturday in Lent, a calendar position that it occupied from an early date; its original association, however, was more proba­bly with the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25.

The body of the poem comprises 24 stanzas (oikoi) linked by an alphabet acrostic—the first 12 treating of the Incarnation and the infancy of Christ, the last 12 alternat­ing the praises of God and His Mother in the even- and odd-numbered stanzas respectively …

early MSS give an­other stanza, of independent metrical design and standing outside the alphabet acrostic: tή ύπερμάχω σtραtηγώ . . . (To the invincible Leader. . .), a hymn of thanks­giving to the Virgin for the delivery of Constantinople from siege …

the prevailing tendency in more recent scholarship has been to assign the hymn to the sixth century, or even somewhat earlier …”
(Text colored blue for emphasis)

 

Also see more answers to objections to Marian devotion at

GOD'S  GLORY  MADE  MANIFEST MEETING  GOD'S  FRIENDS

http://members.aol.com/johnprh/mary.html#obj

 

Know Mary, Know Jesus
No Mary, No Baby Jesus

 

3. Celebrating a Better Lent

“The desire to embrace his Father’s plan of redeeming love inspired Jesus’ whole life, for his redemptive passion was the very reason for his Incarnation.”     CCC 607
 

The early church believed that celebrating the Annunciation/Incarnation fit perfectly within the Lenten celebration of sacrifice and mortification. 1 Today however, the Annunciation is sometimes mistakenly thought of as being exclusively a joyful event because of its association with the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary.  However, God’s mysteries are as broad as they are deep.

In the history of mankind there has not been a greater example of self sacrifice than what happened at the Incarnation and the Annunciation.  The Second Person of the Trinity knew full well that accepting His mission from the Father would lead to suffering and a horrible death.  And when Mary gave her yes to the Annunciation she was in effect giving her okay to her own death warrant.  Since she had no relations with Saint Joseph if he had decided to publicly divorce her, the Law would have required her to be stoned to death, a most unpleasant way to go.  And yet, she still said yes. 

Mary’s yes to God was not limited, as many Protestants would like to contend, to just being a vessel for God’s Son.  Her yes was a complete yes of her whole being to the complete plan of God. 2 John 2:4-5. Arguably 3, the most painful experience of Christ’s passion was meeting His mother on the way of the cross.  Notice that in the Stations of the Cross it was at this point that He longer had the strength to carry his own cross and Simon of Cyrene comes to help in the subsequent Station number 5. 

The suffering of one’s own mother can cut through many obstacles to move one’s heart.  Unfortunately, our present liturgical calendar offers little or no opportunity to give a Sunday reflection on our Sorrowful Mother.  The proposal of this web page, if accepted, would do so.

Therefore, one very good reason for moving this Solemnity to a Sunday prior to Passion (Palm) Sunday is that it fits perfectly into the Season of Lent.  This would enhance our Lenten celebration by providing us with two prefect examples, Jesus and Mary, who gave up worldly pleasures to give themselves entirely to God the Father and His plan even when much suffering ensued.  And by reflecting on their choices which were motivated by the purest of reasons, a total love for the Father, we can enable a more fruitful celebration of Lent and Easter. 

“Although in olden times most of the churches kept no feast in Lent, the Greek Church in the Trullan Synod (in 692; can. 52) made an exception in favour of the Annunciation.”   Catholic Encyclopedia

Since penance is an important theme we need to repeat that message.  However, there is the danger that if the same message is repeated in the same way it will reach a saturation point where the words become meaningless.  Sometimes it is better to approach the theme from a totally different angle.  And it is the Solemnity of the Annunciation/Incarnation that offers us the ability to go deeper into the meaning of what penance implies and how to practice penance it a more fruitful way.  

For example, on Ash Wednesday the Church will often point out that instead of just giving external things to God we need to open ourselves up to God’s love and give our very selves to Him.  And this Solemnity gives us two perfect examples of Jesus and Mary who gave themselves completely to God the Father and His plan of salvation.

There’s a further danger that Christianity can be misperceived as a set of laws, and arbitrary ones at that, and that God is just a Master Law giver who seeks to control us.  This perception gives way to the idea that we just have to give some external things to God or that attending ritual ceremonies are solely meant to be perfunctory obligations rather than occasions of faith-filled encounters with the Person of Jesus Christ.  And God is misperceived as a Master who has the need to require that we do such things to make Him happy, or at least that we should fulfill most of His arbitrary requirements lest we upset Him so much and get condemned to Hell.

To their credit Muslims are good at expressing how God is our Master and that we need to submit to Him.  Islam means submission.  However, their view of their relationship to God is limited to a Master/Slave relationship.  

The Annunciation and Incarnation offers us a third example of total self giving ( besides Jesus’ and Mary’s.)

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son ...”

Jesus Christ came to earth and revealed God to be a Father.  And so, the Annunciation is a perfect opportunity to explain the Fatherhood of God.  He is a Father from before the world was created, because He is a Father to the Son – who is also God.  His Fatherhood is independent of creation because it existed before the world was created.  God is perfectly and infinitely happy in Himself.  He came to earth and made known His revelation not for His benefit, but for ours.

In the Father/Son relationship we are called not to just give external things to God, but to give our heart and our very selves to God.  We find true happiness not in worldly things while trying to appease some Master who makes arbitrary demands on us. Rather, by putting God first in our lives we find happiness in God Himself as we, His adopted children, accept and live in a Father/son relationship.

God’s laws are not to be seen as some arbitrary rules to control us, but rather as our Heavenly Father’s guides to us to save us and to help us so that we might freely choose to live in communion with Him, the Source of all that is good, and to find true freedom and true happiness.  The emptiness of our hearts can only be filled by living in a loving relationship with Him and by loving others.  The teachings and requirements of the Church are not to be seen as something burdensome, but rather as something life giving.

John 14:6  

“Jesus said to him,  ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.’ ”
 

Matthew 11:28-30 

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,  and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

 

Pope Benedict XVI explains how the Annunciation gives us the perfect example of the act of giving of ourselves to God.

Pope Benedict XVI

… The Angel's proclamation was addressed to her; she accepted it, and when she responded from the depths of her heart:  "Here I am... let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1: 38)…

In the Second Reading, we heard the wonderful passage in which the author of the Letter to the Hebrews interprets Psalm 39 in the light of Christ's Incarnation:  "When Christ came into the world, he said:  ..."Here I am, I have come to do your will, O God'" (Heb 10: 5-7). Before the mystery of these two "Here I am" statements, the "Here I am" of the Son and the "Here I am" of the Mother, each of which is reflected in the other, forming a single Amen to God's loving will, we are filled with wonder and thanksgiving, and we bow down in adoration. …

The icon of the Annunciation, more than any other, helps us to see clearly how everything in the Church goes back to that mystery of Mary's acceptance of the divine Word, by which, through the action of the Holy Spirit, the Covenant between God and humanity was perfectly sealed. 
(Homily on the Annunciation Saturday, 25 March 2006)

 

Happiness

The world tends to reduce the meaning of love to unbridled selfish passion.  Happiness is reduced to the temporary satisfaction of worldly pleasures.  The Annunciation/Incarnation is the perfect opportunity to explain our human nature and how it is meant to be in relation to others.  We are made to be united to others in relationships.   The empty place in our hearts cannot be satisfied with lonely isolated pleasures or ego trips, but rather it can only be healed and satisfied by truly loving relationships.  And our relationships will be truly loving when, and only if, they are based on a loving relationship with God where we worship Him and Him alone.

And Jesus gives us the perfect example by accepting His mission from the Father and by living in union with Him.

 

Annunciation Incarnation,
 a new Laetare Sunday

And Its Psychological Advantages

Just as in Advent we have Gaudete Sunday, a moment of tempered joy, our Lenten Season has Laetare Sunday two weeks before Passion (Palm) Sunday.  It is celebrated by a certain amount of restrained rejoicing mingled with some sadness.

The Second Person of the Trinity accepted the Father’s plan of the Incarnation knowing full well that it would lead to His suffering and death.  See quote from CCC 607 above.  And so, the Annunciation and Incarnation dovetails beautifully into this Season of Lent. 

If it were to replace our presently scheduled Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, then it would fall between the dates March 1 and April 4.  However, if this new Laetare Sunday, the Annunciation and Incarnation, were to fall on the herein suggested formula of the Sunday closest to March 25, but no later than the Sunday before Passion (Palm) Sunday, then it would fall between March 8 and March 28.  Currently the celebration of the Annunciation falls between the dates March 25 and April 9, but it is never celebrated on a Sunday.

Shifting our focus to a tempered moment of joy that Laetare Sunday calls us to helps us to better celebrate the Season of Lent.  The immensity of the Victory of Easter cannot be understood without experiencing the true sorrow of the Passion.

While many things can be sad, sorrow is more profoundly experienced when it is in the midst of what should be joyful.  For example, the death of an old man or woman is sad, however the death of a young bride, when we are emotionally focused on what we expect are the joys of youthful and newly married love, makes the young bride’s death all the more sorrowful.  Or if we hear of the death of a young child the occasion takes on an especially sorrowful tone.

Suffering in the midst of an expectant joy makes the suffering all the more painful.  Contemplating the reality of death is by nature sad.  However, when the experience of the Passion is associated with another occasion, the Annunciation/Incarnation, which we would normally and rightfully associate with profound joy the sorrow becomes more profound and penetrating (and vice-versa.)

As we contemplate the coming of Christ in the Annunciation/Incarnation and what should have been – if there had been no sin – it brings out the true sorrow of His passion.  This in turn makes the joy and victory of Easter all the more exuberant.

Only by examining the reality of what death entails will enable us to appreciate and experience the fullness of joy that the resurrection offers us.

Dealing with Death

When a young child or newly wed spouse dies the survivors will often ask, why did God take him or her away from me?  The Annunciation points to the fact that human life begins at conception and this can lead to recovery for those that mourn.  God, who is the Author of life, creates each human person at the moment of their conception. (Jesus is One Person, a Divine Person, who is co-eternal with the Father.)

Since God is the creator of time and space He knows our future and how many days each of us will live.  (This is not a denial of free-will, but a recognition that God is outside of time.)

God should be seen as the One who gives not as one who takes away.  Whether by God’s divine providence we are destined to live 2 years, 20 years or 80 years or whatever time span we are blessed to have should be seen as a gift. No one deserves or earns the gift of another person.

The gift of personhood and life that begins at conception is a miraculous and tremendously great gift.  Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves about what we do not have we should be grateful for the underserved gift that we were given. So, whatever friends or relatives that we are blessed to have and whatever time period we are blessed to have them should be seen as on occasion of joy and thanksgiving.

Understanding True Penance

The mystery of the Annunciation/Incarnation provides the perfect opportunity to explain in a positive way what God, man, human nature, true love, and penance really mean.  Jesus gave his very self to the Father, following the Father’s example.  Jesus embraced His Divine will out of love for Him, not out of fear of being punished by some Master.  Mary, the model Christian, also gave her complete and unreserved yes to God, accepting in faith that His will was best for her. 

Understanding this mystery lays the foundation for understanding what penance is truly meant to be and what it is meant to lead us to.

For some Catholics their participation in penance has been reduced to a time for starting a new diet and their understanding of sacrificing is limited to just the external things that are offered up.  For others a lifestyle that is seriously and inherently sinful is mistaken as being totally distinct from their penitential practice.

However, emphasizing the Solemnity of the Annunciation/Incarnation will enhance the Church’s ability get to the real meaning of penance.  One of the primary goals of penance is to inspire people to the foundation of what penance is meant to signify and lead those people into the giving of their heart, and of their very selves to God.  Fortunately, this Solemnity and the readings for that celebration are especially conducive for achieving that goal and it approaches that purpose with a unique message.

Hebrews 10:4-10
“ … ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me’ …
Then he says, ‘Behold, I come to do your will.’  …
By this ‘will,’ we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

 

The full meaning and implication of the Incarnation for Jesus can not help but be obvious to the faithful being celebrated shortly before the Passion of our Lord.

 

Related links:

Spring, and the Incarnation.
Did you know that March 25 used to be New Year’s Day ?

http://www.defendingthebride.com/spring/

Happiness: Do You Want To Be Happy ? 

http://members.aol.com/joyinliving7/happy.html

 

4. Celebrating a Better Easter

“ … Christ’s Resurrection is closely linked to the Incarnation of God's Son, and is its fulfillment in accordance with God's eternal plan.”   CCC 653

The Annunciation/Incarnation provides an excellent opportunity to help the catechumens prepare for their reception of Jesus Christ on Easter in the Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.  This day is the most important day in their lives as they become Born Again, or Begotten from Above, into God’s family (John 3:3).  It is, or at least should be, a turning point in their lives that deserves a most special attention on our part to help them recognize it as such.

The Annunciation/Incarnation provides a certain prelude or preparation for this event.

As the homilist expounds upon the turning point in human history, the Annunciation/Incarnation, the catechumens will grow in appreciation for what Jesus Christ offers and they will be led to a deeper commitment in following their Savior. This occasion provides the opportunity to reflect on the importance of Christ coming into the world to save us and we will be moved to esteem the importance of Christ coming into our lives and enabling the changes that only He can bring.

This Solemnity provides an excellent opportunity to contrast the destructive worldly forces with the hope and beauty that is offered by Jesus Christ.

The One True God, Jesus Christ in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, offers us true healing, wholeness, and happiness.  In contrast the world offers a multitude of false gods that lead to a host of problems and abuse. For example, some worldly comedians worship the idea of being funny, at the expense of making fun of and hurting others.  Some lawyers worship a system that has made them rich, at the expense of true justice and compassion for the victims and the disadvantaged.  Some psychologists worship the idea of making their patients feel good about themselves and their sins, at the expense of truth and responsibility.  Some talk show hosts worship the idea of being popular, at the expense of glorifying sin. Etc.  In contrast Jesus Christ offers us many spiritual gifts.  These include the priesthood - the opportunity to have our sins forgiven and to receive sound spiritual direction and to be united with Christ, etc.   Truly, the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ and the grace He provides enables us to make this world and our lives a better place.

 

For more, on how Christ and His revelation has changed the world, see

Science and Western Civilization’s Debt to Catholic Church

http://www.defendingthebride.com/code/sci.html

Therefore, focusing on the coming of Christ in the Annunciation and the Incarnation lays the groundwork for a better celebration of Easter.
 

Restoring the Liturgy,
A Possible Solution ?

How would it be best to increase our emphasis on the Annunciation/Incarnation in order to tap into this powerful and theologically rich mystery ?  How can we reach the greatest number of people with this message ?

  Marian or Christological Feast ?

Pope Benedict XVI
“This is why the Annunciation is a Christological feast as well, because it celebrates a central mystery of Christ: the Incarnation.”  
BENEDICT XVI    ANGELUS  on  25 March 2007

In years past the feast of the Annunciation was a holy day of obligation, and so the entire Church was able to tap into its richness.  Unfortunately, even if that were re-instated I don’t believe most Catholics would attend since most Catholics do not go to holy days of obligation if they are not already attached to that particular feast.  And those who most needing its evangelistic message would be those most unlikely to attend.

“This feast (Annunciation) was always a holy day of obligation in the Universal Church. As such it was abrogated first for France and the French dependencies, 9 April, 1802 ...”
Catholic Encyclopedia

A solution for consideration would be to celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation and Incarnation every year on the Sunday closest to March 25, but no later than the Sunday prior to Passion (Palm) Sunday.

It is not a question of choosing or not to move the celebration of the Annunciation.  We are already moving it.  The Christological feasts of Lent and Easter outrank the Marian feast of the Annunciation, so the Annunciation gets moved quite frequently in our current calendar.  In 2007 it was moved to March 26.  In 2008 it will be moved to March 31. In 2005 it was moved to April 4. 

 (See Calendar for 2005 AD)

http://www.easterbrooks.com/cgi-bin/Cathcal.cgi?2005

Our current calendar moves the Solemnity of the Annunciation from the March 25th date 34% of the time.  26% of the time it is moved six to fifteen days ahead to the eighth day after Easter, and on some occasions as late as April 9. 

However, at no time – 0% –  is the Annunciation celebrated on a Sunday when it would have the potential to reach the masses with its powerful message.  Instead it is always celebrated, on an obscure and all but forgotten by most Catholics, on a weekday Mass.  And the daily communicants are probably already converted to the pro-life message.

Is March 25 Essential ?

While keeping the Annunciation on March the 25 has some advantages, I doubt most people consciously think of its connection to December 25.  For this reason I believe it is essential that the word “Conception” be added to the title of the Solemnity.  From a scientific perspective it is not necessary to keep it on March the 25, because the gestation (pregnancy) period is not nine months, but 38 weeks from conception, (plus or minus 2 weeks for a normal pregnancy.)  So, if a baby was born on December 25 at 11:59 pm, based on averages, he would have been conceived on April 3 at 11:59 pm – not March 25.  

Wikipedia

“Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks from fertilization, i.e. approximately 40 weeks from the start of the last menstruation.”    See Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy

The proposal offered at this website does move the feast more frequently, but it moves it to a prominent yearly Sunday celebration in a simple consistent manner.  It is still tied to the March 25th date although less strictly, so that its much needed message is heard by those who most need to hear it.  And when March 25th falls on a Lenten Sunday the Annunciation will stay on the 25th.

Because Easter Sunday always falls between the dates March 22 and April 25 inclusive, this possible solution would place the Solemnity of the Annunciation/Incarnation on March 8 at the earliest and on March 28 at the latest, but almost two thirds of the time, 64.8%,  it will fall on the nearest Sunday, i.e. within three days of March 25, between the dates March 22 and March 28.  The displaced Lenten Sunday readings could be read during any of the ordinary Sundays of the year, but the opportunity to celebrate and draw from the richness of the Annunciation and Incarnation only comes once a year.

To see how these percentages above are calculated see my
CALCULATIONS  WEB  PAGE
http://www.defendingthebride.com/time/mar10.html
 

Vocations

Increasing our focus on Jesus’ and Mary’s acceptance of their vocations given to them by God the Father will be helpful in many ways and for several reasons.  Not only would it be helpful in regards to consecrated religious vocations, but it would help inspire those in the laity to fulfill their role as well.  How much better off would the world be ...

if all Priests were faithful to the Church’s teachings,
if all professors at “Catholic” universities accepted that freedom is found in the Truth of Christ,
if all “Catholic” politicians protected the pre-born,
if all parents took an active role in teaching the faith to their children,
and if all singles used their time and resources to grow closer to Jesus and to evangelize His truths to others and to prepare for future challenges ?

Besides giving to us the perfect examples of fulfilling ones vocation, the Incarnation and Annunciation offer to us the perfect formula for making that possible.  It is not just our own personal commitment or inner strength that makes it possible (Matthew 26:33), but by following the example of Jesus and Mary by developing a deeply personal and loving relationship with God the Father through much faith and prayer.

Unfortunately some people today expect their priests to only tell them what makes them feel good.  (Cf. 2 Timothy 4:3) They assume that the priest, the church, the world, and even God owe them a life without suffering.  They look to God primarily to be saved from suffering.  By reflecting on Mary’s “Yes” to her vocation and by reflecting on her life’s example in how she was not saved from suffering in this life the lay faithful will have a greater opportunity to be cured of these possible false expectations and to grow in a greater appreciation of a salvation from sin rather than just a salvation strictly from suffering.

Advantages: 

1. This proposed plan would enhance our Lenten celebration by providing us with two prefect examples, Jesus and Mary, who gave up worldly pleasures to give themselves entirely to God the Father and His plan even when much suffering ensued.  

2. It provides a better vehicle to prepare the Catechumens for their reception of Christ coming into their world.

3. It would lay the bed rock foundation for Marian devotion on how Jesus united Himself to Mary, as we meditate on how God incorporated Mary into His plan of salvation for us. 

4. It would make the unmistakably clear point of how human life begins at conception and thus make an obvious pro-life message without even using the emotionally charged words such as abortion, etc.  The point made by implication could reach those who have built up defense mechanisms against explicit words and arguments.

5. The advantages of this plan would be that it provides a simple consistent liturgical calendar that would tap into the powerful message of this feast on a yearly basis.  And most importantly, it would greatly benefit the vast majority of Catholics who only attend Sunday Mass.

6.  By reflecting on Jesus’ and Mary’s yes to God the Father and His plan for them and how their love that made that yes possible we can greatly aid all the faithfully to reflect on their own vocation and its importance.

Just as the Church (in North America, in most of the states) moved the Feast of the Ascension, forty days after Easter, to a Sunday in order to help the whole congregation to focus on and to draw upon its theological importance, the Church has all the more reason to consider moving the Annunciation/Incarnation to a Sunday celebration.

 

A New Name for the Solemnity
 

The mystery of the Annunciation/Incarnation is so powerful and theologically rich the Church might want to consider renaming this Solemnity to make some of these deeply needed truths more obvious.  I suggest two considerations.

First,

In old calendars this feast has been called Festum Incarnationis, and also Conceptio Christi, among other titles.  (See Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907, for more history on this feast)

Previously the title focused on Mary while now the focus is on Christ, the Annunciation of our Lord, even though it is a “Marian” feast.  I suggest a new title that refers to both, Christ and how He works in and through Mary.  Please read my section on Mary explaining why I believe this would both help better explain who Christ is and his plan of salvation for us as well as help explain and instill a greater Marian devotion.

Second,

When the average Catholic is asked, “When does the Church celebrate the coming of Christ?” they will almost always say Christmas and ignore or forget about the Annunciation.  And this is quite understandable since our Sunday liturgy tends not to emphasize the Annunciation and since most Catholics neither go to daily Mass nor do they make the conscious connection between the Annunciation and Christmas nine months later.  (Actually the gestation period for humans is 40 weeks, not nine months.)

However, it is essential that they make this connection for them to be deeply influenced by the strong implication of this Solemnity that human life begins at conception.  Therefore, in addition to moving the Solemnity of the Annunciation to a Sunday, I propose that this feast be given a new name to make its “9 month” connection with Christmas more obvious, regardless of whether or not the homilist draws out this point. 

The following title is long, but when we consider the number of Catholic girls getting an abortion, it seems worth the sacrifice.  Of course, the evangelistic advantages of this new name go far beyond merely Pro-Life objectives. 
 

Proposed new Name for this Solemnity :

“The Annunciation to the Virgin Mary and
the Conception of Christ”

Or abbreviated as “Annunciation and Conception”

 

Question:
Would it not be better to keep celebrating this Solemnity on its own special day during the week?

Response:
God will undoubtedly reward those faithful who make sake sacrifices to praise His glory at daily Mass.  However, many Catholics for numerous reasons do not attend daily Mass.  Not only will celebrating this Solemnity on Sunday reach many more Catholics, it will reach the ones who are even more likely to have the need to hear its powerful message.

 

The Solemnity under this proposed solution could come as early as third week of Lent, but would more frequently come toward the end of Lent, i.e. fourth or fifth week. 

Solutions that Don’t Work and their Disadvantages

(Alternate Plan 1)
Keep the current calendar, but make the Annunciation a Holy Day of obligation.  However, the Church would probably still fail to reach those who need it the most since many Catholics do not go to Mass on Holy Days of obligation, and especially not those feasts to which they are not already devoted. 

(Alternate Plan 2)
The Solemnity could be moved to a Sunday, but only when March 25 falls on one of the first five Sundays of Lent (that is, prior to Passion Sunday – since for this discussion we will assume that the Church will not want to displace Passion Sunday or Easter.)  However, this would limit its Sunday celebration to only these few years for the next 120 years. 
2012, 2057, 2063, 2068, 2074, 2085, 2091, 2096, 2114, 2125 …
Such and irregular and infrequent occurrence would be hard to remember from one generation to the next. And its lack of frequency would make it less effective.

To see how these years are calculated see my
CALCULATIONS  WEB  PAGE
http://www.defendingthebride.com/time/mar10.html#plan2

 

The Changes

With the current calendar when Easter falls between the dates March 22nd and April 1st,  the normal date for the Annunciation, March 25th,  falls on a Christological Feast and so the Solemnity of the Annunciation is moved forward to the eighth day after Easter.  This happens 26% of the time and the Annunciation is moved forward 6 to 15 days with April 9th being the latest date. 

During those same dates with the new proposed plan the Annunciation/Incarnation would be moved backward to the Sunday before Passion (Palm) Sunday resulting in a move of 7 to 17 days with March 8th being the earliest.

With the new proposed plan when Easter falls on April 2nd, 3rd, or 4th the Annunciation/Incarnation is moved 6, 5, or 4 days respectively to the previous Sunday of that week (two weeks before Easter.)  When Easter falls on April 5th or later the Annunciation is moved three days or less to the nearest Sunday with the new proposed plan.

When Easter falls on April 8th, 15th, or 22nd the current calendar moves the celebration of the Annunciation one day forward.  With the new proposed plan the celebration of the Annunciation/Incarnation would be kept on March 25th as that day would be a Sunday celebration.  This happens 20 times out of the 250 year period considered, or 8% of the time.
 

Making room in the Liturgical Calendar

The biggest difficulty in implementing the proposed solution is making room for it in the liturgical calendar.  Three sets of Sunday readings, one for each year A, B, and C, would have to be moved or deleted from the calendar.  We would still have four regular Lenten Sundays which could be arranged however the Church decides best.  The other Lenten Sunday reading would have to be moved to another Sunday or displaced somehow. 

I see four possible solutions as to how room could be made.

1.  Currently the Church covers most of the New Testament in the three year cycle.  While this is a great goal, it is not an absolute.  The Church could change the calendar to a four year cycle so that major themes or Gospels could be repeated.

2. Eliminate one of the Gospels texts for each year, A, B, and C, that is closely paralleled in another Gospel.

3. Find three Gospel texts to be removed from the Sunday calendar that are already repeated during the weekday calendar.

4.  Combine one of the shorter Gospels texts for each of the years, A, B, and C, with another Gospel passage.

While each one of these possible solutions involves certain hardships to attain, enduring each and every one of them would be better than missing out on the opportunity and the advantages of implementing the proposed solution.  

In years past the feast of the Annunciation was a holy day of obligation, and so the entire Church was able to tap into its richness.  Unfortunately, if that were re-instated I don’t believe most Catholics would attend, certainly not those who most needing its evangelistic message.

“This feast (Annunciation) was always a holy day of obligation in the Universal Church.”
Catholic Encyclopedia

Therefore, I submit this idea so that the Church may decide its merits ( and, or my state of confusion.)

Thanks to Rev. Fr. René Butler, M.S., for his help in research. 

All comments, criticisms, or suggestions are most welcome. Please  E-Mail.

Endnote: 

Regardless of how the Holy Spirit ends up leading the Church in organizing her liturgical calendar, we would do well to emphasize these mysteries of God, the Annunciation and Incarnation.  I am not claiming to know with infallible certainty what the Church should do in this matter.  Rather, I am just asking if the Church would like to consider these reasons for implementing this suggestion of moving the Annunciation/Incarnation to a Sunday celebration on a yearly basis.  If it is a bad idea I hope someone will do me the favor of educating me why that is so.  I can be emailed at 
JRHellmann@aol.com 

Obviously, I accept whatever the Church decides, but I do ask for the Church's consideration on this issue because the current regulations were made before abortion became the widespread problem that it is today. 

While the themes in the Lenten Gospels are applicable throughout most of the year, the opportunity to fully focus on the Annunciation and its message comes only once a year. 

And so we have the following questions:

“Would it benefit the Church to increase her reflection on the truths revealed by the Annunciation and Incarnation?”  and

“What would be the most effective method of helping the average Catholic to reflect on those mysteries?”   and

“Would the Church be able to emphasize the celebration of that Solemnity by moving it to a Sunday?”