Day 2: Annunciation to Mary

Lord God, Almighty King: in your hands all things are placed. If you wish to save your people, no one can resist your will. You made heaven and earth and all that is contained in them; you are the owner of all things. Who, then, can resist your majesty? Lord, God of our fathers: have mercy on your people, for the enemies of the soul seek to destroy us and the difficulties that confront us are very great. You have said: "Ask and it shall be given to you. He who asks receives. Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will grant it to you. But ask with faith." Hear, then, our prayers. Forgive our faults. Turn away from us the punishments we deserve and make our weeping turn to joy, so that, by living, we may praise your holy name and continue praising it eternally in heaven. Amen.

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."

³⁴ "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

³⁵ The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail."

³⁸ "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her.

As we begin this novena meditating on the Nativity of Jesus, the Annunciation invites us to ponder the profound mystery of God's incarnation. Here, in Mary's simple home, heaven touches earth. The angel's message foretells not just a birth, but the dawn of salvation, the Word made flesh, dwelling among us. Mary's initial fear mirrors our own hesitations when God calls us to something beyond our understanding. Yet her "yes," becomes the gateway for the Savior's entry into the world. In the Nativity, we see this promise fulfilled: the humble stable in Bethlehem echoes the humility of Nazareth, where divinity embraces humanity in the womb of a willing servant. Just as Elizabeth's miraculous pregnancy reassures Mary that "no word from God will ever fail," the birth of Jesus assures us of God's faithfulness. Amid the busyness of our lives, this scene challenges us to emulate Mary's openness. What "annunciations" does God whisper to us today? Are we ready to say "yes" to His will, allowing Christ to be born anew in our hearts?

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.