Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
The events of the Annunciation are so familiar to so many of us. We’ve heard the story so many times. But have we ever really taken the time to contemplate the true significance of what God has accomplished for us?
The essence of sin is rupture of relationship. When our first parents chose to willingly disobey God, they broke relationship with Him in a fundamental way. God is the source of all light, love, harmony, and goodness. By damaging their connection with God, they also fundamentally damaged something in themselves. This is the human condition we all inherit. We human beings are finite creatures with finite limits. We were powerless to heal the wounds that we had inflicted on ourselves. We were powerless to undo the damage we had done to our original, glorious relationship with God.
It’s important to recognize that God could have chosen to do anything with us. He could have left us to the misery we had made for ourselves. He could have left us to be slaves to our addictions and passions. But Christ did come for us. He came to lift us up and to be the infinite remedy that we could never attain for ourselves. He came to live with us, to heal us, to teach us, and ultimately to transform us so that we might enjoy an infinite happiness and glory beyond our imagining. The Annunciation is not only for Mary. It is the proclamation and reaffirmation of God’s boundless, infinite love for each one of us beyond the bounds all human understanding.