Although I am unworthy and unable to write on the Annunciation with any authority, I will share my thoughts and what I’ve heard about this magnificent feast day. It is the day that the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was chosen by God to be the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the World. Mary said to Angel Gabriel :Fiat Mihi Secundum Verbum tuum or Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Word.
At the center of the Annunciation is Mary’s yes to God, and her yes became the fulcrum of the universe. It is the central point upon which we all depend. Without Mary’s yes to being the Mother of Jesus Christ, there would be no salvation for us. No Mass. No sacraments. No Catholic Church. No Enlightenment. There would be no Jesus; He wouldn’t be with us. Mary didn’t know this when she said yes to God, she only knew to love Him with all her heart, mind, and soul, and do His Will at all times.
During her life, Mary’s “yes” didn’t look like it had meant much. She lived in poverty. When Our Lord Jesus Christ, her Son, came to manhood, He began to preach and wander the desert with some poor men devoid of any kind of status. It’s true that He performed many miracles and left them in his wake, but He was crucified for it—the worst, humiliating death for bottom-of-the-barrel criminals. Yes, not only did her “yes” look like nothing, but she suffered indescribably for it at the foot the Cross of her dearest only Son. A Son who was perfect. A Son who was God. It is not by accident that the Annunciation always lands in Lent. Her “yes” had its grave shadow.
Then, why should we say, “yes” to God if we will end up suffering for it? The answer is that God is protecting us and our connection with all of humanity in so many ways beyond our understanding that it would be disastrous for us to do otherwise. He can see a catastrophe waiting to happen in the physical, mental, and emotiona, and spiritual lives of people and how it connects to everyone else. He sometimes asks us to make sacrifices for our neighbors, but always to our ultimate good and never to our detriment. Rest assured, even if we don’t do God’s Will, He will be bending over backwards to help us.
By way of analogy, I was watching Air Disasters which is a good series on Roku TV. On one of the episodes, after an exhaustive investigation, the NTSB discovered what was one of the key factors in bringing down the plane that killed hundreds of people: a faulty screw. One screw that was not doing its job. Mary’s yes was the one piece at the center of the wheel of the universe. Without it our universe would have spun out of control. Despite what it looks like in your life, despite that it may not look like it means much, say “yes” to God. You could be the piece that saves hundreds of lives.
