The Feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest
Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the
fourth century. The Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast
may be translated as “good tidings.” This, of course, refers
to the Incarnation of the Son of God and the salvation He
brings. The background of the Annunciation is found in the
Gospel of St. Luke (1:26-38). The Troparion describes this
as the “beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of
the eternal mystery,” for on this day the Son of God became
the Son of Man.
There are two main components to the Annunciation: the
message itself, and the response of the Virgin. The message
fulfills God’s promise to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15): “I
will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed
and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in
wait for his heel.” The Fathers of the Church understand
“her seed” to refer to Christ. The prophets hinted at His
coming, but the Archangel Gabriel proclaimed that the
promise is about to be fulfilled.
The Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth in
Galilee. There he spoke to the undefiled Virgin who was
betrothed to St. Joseph: “Hail, thou who art highly favored,
the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a
son, and 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 his father David. And he
shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end.”
In contrast to Eve, who was readily deceived by the serpent,
the Virgin did not immediately accept the Angel’s message.
In her humility, she did not think she was deserving of such
words, but was actually troubled by them. The fact that she
asked for an explanation reveals her sobriety and prudence.
She did not disbelieve the words of the angel, but could not
understand how they would be fulfilled, for they spoke of
something which was beyond nature. “Then said Mary unto the
angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke
1:34).
“And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall
overshadow thee: therefore also that which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin
Elizabeth hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this
is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with
God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, ‘Behold the
handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’
And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1: 35-38).
The Annunciation falls during the Great Fast- Lent, but it
is always celebrated with great joy. The Vesperal Liturgy of
St. John Chrysostom is served, even on the weekdays of Lent.
The Annunciation of the Theotokos is an annunciation of the
human race, good news that the Son and Word of God
incarnated. This universal feast must aid in a personal
feast, in a personal annunciation. We must accept the
preludes of our salvation, which is the greatest
notification in our life.
