The announcement of the birth of Jesus
It is now the 4th Sunday of Advent and all the four candles in the Advent wreath would be lit up in all the altars today as our scripture reading or gospel narrative today comes from Luke 1:26-38 on an Annunciation of the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ through God’s messenger, the Angel Gabriel.
“26 The Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
30 Then the Angel said to her, “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the Throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end.”
34 But Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 35 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. 36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the Angel departed from her.”
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In the more than six-years that we’ve been writing our Sunday gospel as from a lay Catholic’s perspective, we’ve already written this story so many times in the past, which we always take from Scripture. However today, allow me to make an exception, as I would like to share with our readers the story of the Annunciation from the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary herself, when she appeared before a Mystic named St. Elizabeth of Schoenau.
Let me make myself clear that I got this story from the book entitled, “The Life of Mary: as seen by the Mystics” written by Raphael Brown. It is a compilation from the revelations of St. Elizabeth Schoenau, St. Bridget of Sweden, Venerable Mother Mary Agreda and Sister Anna Catherine Emmerich. They all lived in different times and different locations… yet Raphael Brown was able to compile these revelations to make the biography of our Blessed Virgin Mary. Let me make it clear that while this may not be scriptural, however one must read this book in the eyes of faith. This book is always beside my Bible.
Let me start quoting this book right after this scriptural passage when the Blessed Virgin Mary said to the Angel Gabriel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to your word.” Then as the Angel departed from her… allow me now to quote the book.
“Now a celestial light filled Mary’s little room, dissolving the ceiling and revealing the heavens. In a dazzling beam could be seen a brilliant figure of the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit appeared in a winged form. Masses of flame shot out like wings on His right and left. Then three intense rays flashed and darted into the right side of the Virgin, and she became entirely suffused with a glowing light.”
Then in a revelation to St. Elizabeth of Schoenau, the Blessed Virgin Mary said to her, “As soon as I had spoken these words, the grace of God overwhelmed me—never had I felt such bliss and joy in my soul! And then in that ecstasy God the Father gave me His Son, and my Son was instantly conceived in my womb by the Holy Spirit. He took flesh in my most pure body. And as inexpressible rapture filled my soul and my whole body. And I humbled myself in every way, for I knew that the One whom I bore in my womb was the Almighty.” Then she added this to St. Elizabeth, “Do you know why God did this? Because I believed in Him and because I humbled myself.”
I do not expect all my readers to accept this story; after all, it is not coming from the Bible. But we do have millions of Marian devotees who want to know more about this seemingly insignificant incident where a lowly Jewish girl of fourteen years of age has found favor from God and she became the Mother of the second person in the Blessed Trinity.
I won’t make any theological explanations regarding this story because in order for us to believe this story as told by our Blessed and Immaculate Mother herself, all we need to have is a childlike faith and the humility to accept things that we cannot explain and to believe that indeed, nothing is impossible with God. May God enlighten us with his Holy Spirit! Amen!
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