An Event that Changes History

Have you ever imagined the time when God decided to become one of us? An angel, a young girl, a message that would reshape history forever. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation to Mary which is intrinsically also the Solemnity of the Incarnation of the Word of God.

God becomes incarnate; he becomes human. God assumes our weakness, the fragility of humanity. God makes us his children and leads us to overcome death. Life is a mystery. God is the Word and the meaning; He becomes close and present to us. Thus, Isaiah announces this mystery: that a child shall be born of the virgin mother and shall be called “Emmanuel: God with us”.

Today is the day of “YES”, God's “Yes” and Mary's “Yes.” Christ offers himself to the Father: “Here I am, Lord to do your will”. Mary responds with faith and confidence to Gabriel's greeting and annunciation: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. “Thanks to Mary's “Yes” the Word became flesh and dwells among us. Through Christ’s surrender on the cross and his death, he rises and gives us new life. Many of us are witnesses of this great Gift of true Life for all.

The Contemplation of the Incarnation

Those of us who have an Ignatian spirituality savor the “Contemplation of the Incarnation” in the Spiritual Exercises. We are invited to imagine God being attentive to reality and looking at the world. To save it, God's decision is to become incarnate; to become human and to dwell among us. We are also invited to contemplate Mary who receives the Angel's announcement and who consents to the incarnation of the Son of God in her womb. (EE 102-109).

God also speaks to us through imagination. Throughout history, hundreds of artists have expressed this fundamental mystery of our faith: the Word who becomes the Son of Mary and Mary who becomes the Mother of God.

In Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee Year of Hope, Pope Francis states:

Journeying from one country to another as if borders no longer mattered, and passing from one city to another in contemplating the beauty of creation and masterpieces of art, we learn to treasure the richness of different experiences and cultures, and are inspired to lift up that beauty, in prayer, to God, in thanksgiving for his wondrous works.

While many of us may not be going to move geographically from one country to another or from one city to another, we are all invited to make an interior pilgrimage. And on this feast day, we are going to contemplate some works of art that depict the Annunciation and the Incarnation.

It is very beautiful to see how good artists know the difference between Annunciation and Incarnation. They interpret it in their drawings, paintings, sculptures or engravings.

The Annunciation of Mary

This is the time when the Archangel Gabriel appears in the house of Mary. He greets her saying: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you”.

In the Annunciation of the Word, the angel Gabriel is portrayed slightly elevated with respect to the Virgin Mary for the Sacred Scripture speaks of men: “You have made us slightly inferior to the angels”.

The artists depict the Annunciation as an intimate scene.  At the sight of the image of the archangel, they show Mary in confusion or fear. The angel comes down from heaven dressed in silky robes; carrying the staff of lilies as a symbol of virginity and purity. Mary, in a sense of awe, looks in the direction of the angel. She is covered with a white veil that drapes down part of her hair, with a blue cloak and a red tunic-like dress. Common in almost all representations of the Virgin, these three colors symbolize purity, humanity and heaven.

Other elements that decorate the scene are the cherubim, the white dove ( a symbol of the Holy Spirit) or the male bearded figure of God.

The Incarnation of the Virgin

This is immediately following after the archangel's greeting: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call him Jesus”.

This unique moment in Christianity was carried out by painters and sculptors with the portrayal of the archangel at the feet of Mary. When Mary pronounces before the angel her “Fiat” - “Your will be done”, immediately “the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Incarnation occurs and therefore the Son of God is in the womb of the Virgin. The angel becomes inferior to Him and has to kneel or to stoop lower before God made man.

St. Gabriel's kneeling and bending his knees is a sign of submission, docility and obedience. This is the most important moment – a moment of humility and reverence in which the Holy Spirit incarnates the Virgin. In this scene Mary has her gaze down to be pierced by the Light. In some works, she will appear with her belly slightly protruding and her hands crossed which denotes the glow of the moment.

Reflect and Contemplate:

- What does it mean to you that God became man?

- Do you believe in God incarnate in today's reality?

- How would you artistically represent the Annunciation and the Incarnation today?

SOURCES

LA MIRADA ACTUAL: Diferencia icónica entre “Anunciación” y “Encarnación”, en el 25 de marzo Julia Sáez-Angulo

«La Anunciación» y «La Encarnación»: iconografía e interpretación