Announcing a New Year!

This weekend parts of the world are celebrating a new year. That’s because people around the earth celebrate March 25, the Annunciation of the Lord, as a new year of hope. Marking this day as the start of the new year began in 525 with the advent of Anno Domini (AD), because it was believed that a new time of grace began with the Incarnation of Christ at the Annunciation.

The Annunciation marks the day the archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear the Son of God. The Annunciation is the first Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, and it is from the Annunciation that we derive the Angelus prayer. The Solemnity of the Annunciation is so significant that it is always commemorated no matter where it falls during the week or the season. For example, if March 25 falls on a Sunday during Lent, the Annunciation is moved to and celebrated on the following Monday. And when the Mass is celebrated during the Lenten season, it always includes the Gloria, which is not normally sung or prayed during Lent, as an extra mark of festivity and joy.

March 25 typically occurs on or near the spring equinox, a time in the Northern Hemisphere when the light of springtime overcomes the darkness of winter, when dormant plants and trees begin to awaken to new life. The Annunciation is a powerful reminder that when life seems barren and dead, God bursts forth with light and new life.

This year the Annunciation falls in the middle of our Lenten journey. May we who are also called to bear the God of love hear anew the words first addressed to Mary: “The Lord is with you” …  “Do not be afraid” … “For nothing will be impossible for God.”