Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Psalm
40:5-11
or
Canticle 15 (Magnificat)
Isaiah 7:10-14 + Hebrews 10:4-10 + Luke 1:26-38
And the Angel came in unto her, and said, Haile thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her minde what manner of salutation this should be.
Luke 1:28-29
The divine human encounter we commemorate this day has been one of the most celebrated inspirations of artists down the centuries. Here is one beautiful example, which itself provides inspiration for a further reflection. Hudgins' poem in turn invites us to reflect on the way in which this rightly celebrated event, for all its high piety, can also serve as a window into the very real and relatable--the questioning and uncertainty, the fear and confusion that are here, even here, in this most holy moment. The life of faith consists of such moments, wherein Christ dwells.
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The Cestello Annunciation
Sandro Botticelli, 1489
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"The Cestello Annunciation"
by Andrew Hudgins
The angel has already said, Be not afraid.
He's said, The power of the Most High
will darken you. Her eyes are downcast and half closed.
And there's a long pause--a pause here of forever--
as the angel crowds her. She backs away,
her left side pressed against the picture frame.
He kneels. He's come in all unearthly innocence
to tell her of glory--not knowing, not remembering
how terrible it is. And Botticelli
gives her eternity to turn, look out the doorway, where
on a far hill floats a castle, and halfway across
the river toward it juts a bridge, not completed--
and neither is the touch, angel to virgin,
both her hands held up, both elegant, one raised
as if to say stop, while the other hand, the right one,
reaches toward his; and as it does, it parts her blue robe
and reveals the concealed red of her inner garment
to the red tiles of the floor and the red folds
of the angel's robe. But her whole body pulls away.
Only her head, already haloed, bows,
acquiescing. And though she will, she's not yet said,
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,
as Botticelli, in his great pity,
lets her refuse, accept, refuse, and think again.
Closing Prayer
Almighty and Everlasting God, who has stooped to raise fallen humanity through the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Grant that we, who have seen your glory revealed in our human nature and your love made perfect in our weakness, may daily be renewed in your image and conformed to the pattern of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.~ from Saint Augustine's Prayer Book
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