Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Overshadowed
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
In Roman Catholic lectionary texts, the story of Gabriel speaking to Mary is told over and over. In the Orthodox Church the “Feast of the Annunciation” is so important it is celebrated along with Easter on the same day, if the dates coincide. And the only time the Orthodox Church celebrates a mass on Good Friday is when Good Friday is on March 25, the calendar day of the Feast.
March 25 (and that would be today) is exactly nine months before December 25. Nine months, and then the baby comes.
Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
All of this came to Mary in a rush. But there is nothing in the Bible of her experience with the Holy Spirit and the “power of the Most High” – only this conversation with the angel Gabriel. The fearsome prediction of the angel, even after he asked Mary not to be afraid, stands in sharp contrast to Mary’s gentle receptivity. She accepted, welcomed, and simply rested in her “overshadowing.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
How do you picture this scene? Certainly not as artists have depicted Greek gods, raping and betraying both each other and humanity. Gabriel’s power and respect, complemented by Mary’s confident humility, makes this a marvelous story to be painted by a thousand imaginations. Here are a few, brought together in a single experience for us.
May it be unto me according to thy word.
Mary’s words have lifted us into our own obedience and humility ever since.
We bow before you, God, and call you Lord. We feel your arms and call you Father. We are thrown headlong toward each other loving and unafraid, and call you Holy Spirit. God you are the center of all centers, and only in you do we live. You turn us always toward your blessing, one day at a time.
(Isaiah 7, Psalm 40, Hebrews 10, John 1, Luke 1)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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