Annunciation

This past week, our parish celebrated our Patronal Feast, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What “Patronal Feast” means is that this feast, already so important on its merits, takes on an added significance for us because it is the namesake of our parish. 

This practice of naming parishes after saints (or in our case, key events) is similar to how we take a saint’s name at Confirmation. We do so to develop a relationship with that saint, to take them on as a mentor and role model in the faith, to strive to follow in their footsteps as we journey to our own sainthood, and to rely on their intercession and protection in that journey. So too with the parish: when a parish is founded, the saint is chosen or assigned as a model for the community to follow in faith and action. 

For us as Annunciation BVM parish, even though it is an event rather than a person, the event of the Annunciation still serves as this example for us. The Annunciation is one of the greatest, most climatic moments in human history: our entire salvation hangs on the words of Mary. God extends an invitation to Mary, to become the mother of the Messiah, to become the Eve of the new creation, to become the perfect disciple and model of all discipleship. Her “yes” becomes for us the model for our own “yes” to God; her faith and trust in God becomes a model for our own faith. This is why we bow our heads during the Creed when we come to the mention of the Annunciation and Incarnation: it is the pivotal moment for our salvation. 

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation, may we always look to Mary’s faith, her humility, her love, to guide our own virtue. May we echo Mary’s words in our own lives, both as individuals and as a parish family, telling our Lord: “May it be done unto me according to your word.”