Angelus Domini Nuntiavit Mariae
First Joyful Mystery
Angelus Domini Nuntiavit Mariae
The Annunciation — "The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary"
The title of this page comes from the Angelus, the prayer traditionally prayed at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. Translated, its opening line reads "The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary," describing the Annunciation of the Incarnation of the Word made flesh.
This takes place in the Gospel according to St. Luke, chapter 1, verses 26-38. When we turn to this passage and begin to reflect on the Incarnation of the Word made flesh, Verbum Caro Factum Est, what comes to mind is the fittingness of His coming. Was it truly fitting that Christ should become Man for the salvation of souls?
Strictly speaking, the Incarnation was not necessary for the salvation of souls. God is not bound to any one means; He need not do something to bring about a result, but has only to will it and it is so. He could have redeemed us in countless other ways, or by a simple decree.
But necessity is not the only measure. Following St. Thomas Aquinas, we distinguish what is absolutely necessary from what is supremely fitting (conveniens). Given that God willed to save us in the way most befitting His own goodness, the Incarnation was not arbitrary at all but supremely fitting: nothing so draws us to know and love God as God Himself drawing near in our own nature. Out of the love He has for us He chose to become Man, that we might know Him better, love Him more, and freely choose to follow and serve Him in all things. The Incarnation is unnecessary in the sense that no outside force compelled it, and yet most fitting in the sense that it perfectly answers the end God intended: our salvation, worked by love.
The fruit of this mystery is the virtue of humility, and with it docility to the will of God. Humility forms the very bed of the prayerful life (CCC 2559). As St. Bernard describes it, humility is the virtue by which a man, knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself and submits to God.
This is shown perfectly in the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
The Blessed Virgin humbled herself before the Word of God and remained docile to His will. Her fiat is the pattern of every soul's response to grace: not a bargain, not a hesitation, but a full and trusting yes.
A great way to meditate on the mystery is through a scriptural reading of the Rosary, joining a verse of St. Luke's account to each Ave Maria. Pray each verse, then the Hail Mary, and let the words of the Gospel carry the decade.
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