The Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

 

Date of Celebration

The Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25 in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some Protestant traditions. This date is precisely nine months before Christmas (December 25), symbolizing the moment when the Theotokos conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit. If March 25 falls during Great Lent, the fast is mitigated, allowing for the consumption of fish, oil, and wine in honor of the joyous occasion.

Theological Significance

The Annunciation marks the moment of God’s incarnation, when the divine Logos (Word) takes on human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. This event fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the coming of the Messiah and inaugurates the mystery of salvation.

Key theological themes include:

• The Divine Initiative in Salvation: God, in His mercy, takes the first step toward humanity’s redemption.

• Mary’s Role in Salvation History: She freely accepts the will of God, becoming the Theotokos (Θεοτόκος, "God-bearer").

• The Mystery of the Incarnation: The union of divine and human nature in the person of Jesus Christ begins.

• Reversal of the Fall: Just as Eve disobeyed in the Garden of Eden, Mary’s obedience reverses the curse of sin.

Biblical References

Old Testament Prefigurements

1. Genesis 3:15 (Protoevangelium) – God foretells the coming of a woman whose seed will crush the serpent's head. This foreshadows the Virgin Mary and Christ’s victory over sin.

2. Isaiah 7:14 – “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” This prophecy directly foretells the Annunciation.

3. Ezekiel 44:1-3 – The prophecy of the “shut gate” that only the Lord passes through is seen as a type of Mary’s perpetual virginity.

4. Exodus 3:2-5 – The burning bush that is not consumed by fire symbolizes Mary’s virginal womb containing the divine fire of God.

5. Judges 6:36-40 – Gideon’s fleece, which is wet while the ground remains dry, prefigures the miraculous conception of Christ within the Virgin.

6. Psalm 45:10-17 (LXX) – The psalm speaks of the queen standing at the right hand of God, a reference to the Theotokos.

New Testament Citation

The primary biblical passage for the Annunciation is found in Luke 1:26-38:

• The Archangel Gabriel is sent to the Virgin Mary in Nazareth.

• He greets her with: "Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with you!" (χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ κύριος μετὰ σοῦ).

• Mary is troubled but listens as Gabriel announces she will conceive the Son of God.

• She asks, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

• Gabriel explains that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her.

• Mary humbly accepts, saying, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."

Other relevant passages:

• Matthew 1:18-25 – The angel appears to Joseph, confirming that Mary’s child is conceived by the Holy Spirit.

• John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” affirming the Incarnation.

Commentaries from Eastern Patristic Fathers

St. John Chrysostom (4th century)

St. John Chrysostom emphasizes the Annunciation as the ultimate act of divine humility, where the Creator enters creation as a helpless child. He contrasts Mary’s unwavering faith with Eve’s doubt, highlighting her obedience as the beginning of humanity’s redemption.

1. On the humility of God in the Incarnation:

• "Do you see, beloved, how great a thing it was for God to humble Himself, to take flesh from a woman, and to become a servant, that He might rescue His servants?" (Homily on the Gospel of Matthew, Homily 4.3)

2. On Mary’s faith surpassing Eve’s doubt:

• "Eve, through the serpent’s deceit, fell into disobedience, but the Virgin received the tidings of the truth through the angel’s voice and bore God in obedience." (Homily on the Theotokos)

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St. Gregory of Nyssa (4th century)

St. Gregory of Nyssa presents Mary as the New Eve, whose obedience reverses Eve’s transgression. He parallels the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary with the Spirit hovering over the waters in Genesis, signifying the dawn of a new creation.

1. On Mary as the New Eve:

• "Through a woman, death entered the world; through a woman, life has been restored. She who was once the cause of sin has now become the cause of salvation." (Against Eunomius, Book 2)

2. On the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit recalling Genesis 1:2:

• "Just as in the beginning the Spirit hovered over the waters, bringing order from chaos, so now He overshadows the Virgin, bringing forth the divine Logos in flesh." (On the Holy Spirit)

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St. Ephraim the Syrian (4th century)

St. Ephraim the Syrian poetically depicts the Annunciation as the union of heaven and earth within Mary’s womb. He marvels at the mystery of the Incarnation, writing these notable phrases…

1. On the union of heaven and earth in Mary’s womb:

• "The womb of the Virgin has become the meeting place of the uncreated and the created, of the eternal and the temporal, of God and man." (Hymns on the Nativity, Hymn 3)

2. On the paradox of the Incarnation:

• "The Lord entered her and became a servant; the Word entered her and became silent inside her; thunder entered her and His voice was still; the Shepherd entered her, and He became the Lamb." (Hymns on the Nativity, Hymn 11.6)

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Selected Hymnography of Annunciation

Tone 6     (for the Feast, by John the Monk)

 

The Archangel Gabriel was sent from heaven,

to announce to the Virgin the good news of her conceiving.

And coming to Nazareth, he was filled with wonder at the miracle,

and reasoned within himself:

“How is it that He Who dwells on high, Whom none can comprehend,

is to be born of a Virgin?

How is He, Whose throne is Heaven and Whose footstool is the earth,

to be contained in the womb of a woman?

He upon Whom the six-winged Seraphim and the many-eyed Cherubim are not able to gaze

is well-pleased to be made flesh from her at a single word.

It is the Word of God Who is to come.

Why then do I hesitate, and not say to the Maiden:

‘Rejoice, O Lady, full of grace, the Lord is with you!

Rejoice, pure Virgin!

Rejoice, Bride without Bridegroom!

Rejoice, Mother of the Life!//

Blessed is the Fruit of your womb!’”

Tone 4     (from the Menaion, for the Feast, by Andrew of Jerusalem)

 

Today the good tidings of joy are proclaimed,

today is the festival of the Virgin;

things below are joined together with things on high.

Adam is made new;

Eve is freed from the primal grief;

and by the deification of the human nature that the Lord assumed,

the tabernacle of our substance has become a temple of God.

Oh, what a mystery!

The manner of His emptying cannot be known;

the manner of His conception is beyond speech.

An angel ministers at the miracle; a virginal womb receives the Son;

the Holy Spirit is sent down; the Father on high is well pleased,

and according to their common counsel, a reconciliation is brought to pass

in which and through which we are saved.

For this reason let us unite our song with Gabriel’s,

crying aloud to the Virgin:

“Rejoice, O Lady Full of Grace, the Lord is with you!

From you is our salvation, Christ our God,

Who, by assuming our nature, has led us back to Himself.//

Humbly pray to Him for the salvation of our souls!”