Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Today the church celebrates the second solemnity that usually falls during Lent: the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. The first solemnity, of course, is that of St. Joseph, which we observed last Tuesday. Given the confusion that sometimes surrounds the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, it is important to point out that 25 March falls exactly nine months before 25 December. In like manner, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is observed on 8 September, exactly nine months after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which we observe on 8 December.

The scriptural reading for Morning Prayer today is taken from the second chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. It comes from the portion of that chapter known as the Kenotic Hymn. In fact, today’s Morning Prayer reading is made-up of the two verses that constitute the heart of this hymn. These verses note that Jesus, "though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance" (Phil 2:6-7).

Annunciation, by Jerry Coulter

This passage is called the Kenotic Hymn because of the use of the word kenosis. Kenosis is the Greek word meaning to empty one's self. It refers to Jesus’s letting go of what we, as human beings, see as divinity. What the incarnation shows us is that it is the very nature of God to be self-emptying, not some kind of master manipulator or cosmic tyrant.

With her fiat Mary emptied herself of self in order to be filled with Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, while today is a solemnity, meaning it is a day, like a Sunday, when you can relax your Lenten discipline should you chose, I can’t think of a better description of what Lent is supposed to be about.

As a treat for myself, I prayed the Joyful Mysteries today! The first of which is the Annunciation, of which the fruit is humility. This is expressed beautifully in the Angelus:

The angel of Lord declared unto Mary
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit
Behold the handmaid of the Lord:
Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.