Feast of the Annunciation

“Mary’s meeting with the angel is like the summation of her entire preceding life of contemplation.  It is the first thing we learn about her.  We do not know who she is, we do not know her past.  But when we learn that she saw the angel, the whole composition of her soul becomes visible.  The angel which appears is the fulfillment of her prayer – not in the sense that she had prayed for the appearance or prepared herself for it, but rather in the sense that she has held herself in readiness for a mission still unknown to her.  She has lived in an attitude of prayer, and in virtue of this life she is capable in the crucial moment of seeing and obeying the angel who comes to her.  Both vision and obedience flow from the same source in her; from the openness toward the mission which God may give her, when and in whatever way he likes.  Her obedience is the prototype of every future instance of Christian obedience, which draws its whole meaning from the life of prayer and the perception of God’s will.”  [Adrienne von Speyr: Handmaid of the Lord. From the Chapter, "Mary and the Angel", pg. 27]

Magnificat (J.S. Bach) – turn off the Sonific Songspot before playing!