An Ecumenical Celebration--March 25 In Various Faith Traditions
If you would like to share information on an Annunciation/Incarnation tradition associated with March 25th celebrated at your place of worship, please contact us at info@DayOfTheUnbornChild.com -- indicate denomination if applicable.
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Roman Catholic
Visit Catholic Culture’s Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord site. It not only presents a theological
perspective, but also suggests activities and prayers on a sidebar, as well as
“Things to do” at the bottom of the page to promote a pro-life outlook. CatholicCulture.org also features Father Francis Weiser's explanation of many Annunciation
traditions--for example, the papal Curia's ancient custom of
starting the year on March 25 in all their communications, calling it the
"Year of the Incarnation."
Fr. Weiser, author of The Holyday Book, also points out something
that Catholics may not always notice in the Nicene Creed section in their
church missal booklets: There are only
two days in the year in which the direction to kneel or genuflect is given
during the creed (at the words, "By the power of the Holy Spirit, He was
born of the Virgin Mary and became man")--Christmas and the Annunciation.
EWTN's web page on celebrating the Annunciation
briefly explains the importance of the feast and includes suggestions on
honoring the day with Mass attendance, family celebrations, and activities with
children.
The feast of Christ’s conception is an ideal time to begin a
church-based nine-month period of Spiritual Adoption in which
parishioners are invited to pray on a regular basis for a newly conceived child
in danger from abortion over the nine months leading up to Christmas. In the Roman Catholic Church this can be
perfectly combined with the practice of having a “novena” of pro-life masses
(meaning “nine” sequential) beginning on the Annunciation feast and ending near
Christmas. This commitment to pray regularly is not
only a vital expression of concern for endangered unborn children, but also,
the gestational duration of both the Spiritual Adoption program and the
“novena” of monthly masses emphasizes the Annunciation’s pro-life aspect and
underscores the relationship between these two central feasts of the
Incarnation. At the end of the nine
months a Spiritual Adoption "baby shower" is held in which
parishioners are invited to give contributions and needed items for a local
pro-life pregnancy center. Closing the
Spiritual Adoption program with the gift shower seamlessly blends both the
contemplative/spiritual and active/corporal works of mercy. The shower can be held late in Advent,
during the 12 days of Christmas, or even on Epiphany to recall the gifts of the
Magi to the baby Jesus; regardless of the day chosen, it represents another
opportunity to reinforce the gestational relationship between the feast date
and Christmas (with signs, banners, or info table)--especially for parishioners
who bring donations to the shower but didn’t participate in Spiritual
Adoption. Please read more about
Spiritual Adoption and available print materials on our Ideas page.
The traditional 9-month "First Fridays" Devotion can be
adapted to span the 9-months between the Annunciation and Christmas. Begin on the "first Friday of the
month" nearest Mar 25 and continue the practice of Mass, communion, etc.
for the First Fridays of nine consecutive months -- this will approximate the
gestational period from the Annunciation leading up to Christmas.
At any time of the year a "Twenty-Fifth of the Month Club"
(similar to the "Thirteenth of the Month Club" for Fatima) can be
started to study and honor the Annunciation and its relationship to
Christmas. As with the 9-Month
Spiritual Adoption or 9 consecutive First Fridays, the "Twenty-Fifth of
the Month Club" is particularly helpful for highlighting the
Annunciation/Christmas link, but unlike the former two the "club" has
activities year-round on the 25th of each month. These groups can be local or long-distance. Rather than meeting in person 12 times a
year on the 25th, e-mail lists and social
networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can be used to create a virtual Internet
club dedicated to raising awareness about the Annunciation Feast (Mar. 25)
and its nine-month gestational relationship to Christmas (Dec. 25). Prayers, readings, reflections, and message
board discussions (as well as special seasonal activities prior to the
Annunciation and Christmas), can be planned for the 25th of every month. For example, the October and November 25th
activities could include idea sharing and suggestions on how to include the
Annunciation in our Christmas mailings, decorations, and celebrations. The March 25th Annunciation, as the old New
Year's Day, is an ideal occasion to renew the club's commitment and plan for
the coming year -- perhaps with a special get-together on March 25th via on-line
chat or in person if there are members who live in the same locale. See ideas on Highlighting
the Christmas Connection as well as the many suggestions for the
Annunciation feast on the Ideas page.
Though all
Christian clergy have an opportunity at Christmas to point out the
pregnancy-length interval between the feasts of the Annunciation and the
Nativity, Catholics and others who follow a traditional liturgical calendar
have two other occasions to touch on the symbolic spacing of the feast
dates. As with Christ's conception and
birth, the feast of Mary's conception on December 8th is set nine months before
her birth feast on September 8th. The
gestational symbolism of both these pairs of dates makes the homilies/sermons
for these two Marian feasts another opportune moment to make a brief but
pointed mention of the nine-month intervals between the conception and birth
feasts of both Christ and Mary.
Note: The four feasts of March
and December 25th, and December and September 8th, are also important
opportunities to clarify the confusion that often accompanies the concept of
the Immaculate Conception (a teaching about Mary most commonly found among
Catholics), which is often confused with the virginal conception/birth of
Christ. Indeed, if the Annunciation
were more widely known as the feast of Christ's conception, this confusion would
be less common. Please also see the Ideas page
section on Highlighting
the Christmas Connection.
The Rosary
offers frequent year-round opportunities to bring out the meaning of the
Annunciation and promote a fuller understanding of its import and the feast day
on which it is celebrated. The Joyful
Mysteries can serve to introduce the theme of Christ's conception and
prenatal life into both private and public prayer as a reminder to oneself and
others of what we are truly meditating on in contemplating the mystery of the
Annunciation and also the Visitation.
For example, when praying the Rosary always remember to add a brief
description after announcing the first Joyful Mystery "The
Annunciation" such as "--when Christ was conceived" and/or
"--the Word was made flesh," "--the moment of Incarnation,"
"--God became man," etc.
Likewise the second Joyful Mystery can be announced to include the
unborn Christ and John the Baptist:
"The Visitation--when Mary with the newly conceived Christ visited
Elizabeth whose unborn son John leapt for joy." This will open the door to a more complete appreciation of what
happened on these momentous occasions and facilitate a more profound
meditation.
Orthodox
Orthodox Church (in America)
Excerpt from the web page of The Nativity of the Holy Virgin, Orthodox Church in America, Diocese of the West:
“There are many festive hymns with which the church
celebrates today’s sacrament of the incarnation of the Son of God. They teach
us, the believers, to properly celebrate the day of our salvation; but most frequently,
we hear the words ‘Today is the crown of our salvation and the manifestation of
the mystery that is from all eternity.’”
Read more at http://www.tserkov.org/about_orthodoxy.html
-- just click The Twelve Great Feasts and scroll down to the section on
the Annunciation -- includes the excerpt from the Ikos of the Matins of the
Feast: Rejoice, you who are the throne
of the King: Rejoice, you who hold Him
Who holdeth all! Rejoice, Womb of the
Divine Incarnation!
Orthodox Annunciation Prayer (Author: Orthodox Church): Click here
and scroll down to read this lovely prayer that begins, "Lord who came
down from heaven and stayed in the womb of St. Mary…"
Anglican/Episcopalian
Anglican England continued to observe the March 25th "Annunciation
Day" as the beginning of their New Year until the mid-1700s, reflecting
the importance of the feast. Roman
Catholic countries also had this tradition in the Middle Ages, but moved their
New Year's Day from March 25th to January 1st in the late 1500s with the
adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Source: "New Year’s Day," Microsoft®
Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. © 1993-1999
Consider this excerpt from a Feast of the Annunciation homily by
the Rev. Lloyd Prator, Mar. 26, 2001, St. John’s in the Village Episcopal
Church, New York, NY:
There is a good reason why the Annunciation occurs during
Lent. Two good reasons, actually. Of course there is the rather cute little
device of the calendar. This day, the day that Mary finds out that she is
pregnant, occurs just exactly nine months before the Nativity of the Lord in
December. But, there is a deeper, subtler reason. In Lent, we talk about
the way in which God decided to save the world. It happens through the death
and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. And, so it seems fitting that we
pause for a moment to remember the very first moment when Jesus was introduced
onto the stage of salvation history, that moment when he began his life within
the womb of his mother the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Annunciation is one of those events which points to the human
nature of Jesus. The Church has traditionally taught that Jesus is both God and
human, and today we consider the implications that he was born of an earthly
mother, conceived in a unique way, but conceived nevertheless.
Read more at:
http://www.stjvny.org/homilies/annunciation_01.asp
Lutheran
As the feast date approaches visit the Lutherans For Life home page for info on their Annunciation materials (some are available free of
charge or for nominal cost):
Bulletin Insert — (“The Miracle of the
Incarnation”/"The Miracle of the Annunciation") -- Click here to order print copies and/or click the downloads
tab at the ordering page to access a link to save a text version at no cost).
The site includes this description of the insert: "The Miracle of the Incarnation -- The path to
the cross did not begin in Bethlehem but in Nazareth! March 25 is the most appropriate time to
celebrate the Incarnation. God became
man at Jesus’ conception in Mary. Since
our beginnings were sinful (Psalm 51:5), Jesus had to take our place from that
very moment. Part of the redemptive
process was for Jesus to pass through all stages of our development. What powerful implications for the value of
human life from the very beginning! Jesus’ divinity and humanity at the moment
of conception attest to our humanity from that moment."
For a sample sermon, worship
service, brochure and other items including Annunciation poster and print, click
here for the Annunciation search page (most relevant items will display first)
or click the direct links below for the most popular items:
Brochure — (“The Annunciation and Abortion”)
by Rev. Edward Fehskens — offers a historical review and addresses the pro-life
implications of the Annunciation and Visitation of Mary and the Incarnation of
Jesus Christ. Click here for more.
Click the link to order brochures on-line.
Sample Sermon — Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb’s
sermon “Pregnant with God” (based on Luke 1:26-38) uses Scripture, Reformation
Era writings, the Lutheran Confessions, and quotes from more recent scholars
and theologians (Dr. Edward Koehler, Francis Pieper) to highlight the
Incarnational and pro-life significance of Christ’s conception. Click here for access to a free download of the sermon.
Worship Service — A sample worship service
for the Annunciation. Click here for access to a free download of the service.
Celebrate Life Service — Lutherans For Life suggests a "Celebrate Life" Service for March 25 in the "Speaking Through Worship" section of its "How You Can Speak" page.
Bible-Based Study Guide (including Annunciation) — Offers the "God's Word for Life" Bible-based study guide including a section on The Annunciation and the Beginning of Life. In the Topical Index, under the "Beginning of Life" section you will find the subtopic "The Annunciation and the Beginning of Life."
Other Annunciation-themed
materials offered in the past that may be available from Lutherans For Life
include:
Article
— (“Womb
and Tomb”) by Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb
Fact: Listed first among
the surviving cantatas of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, his Cantata
BWV 1, "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" was written in March 1725
for the Feast of the Annunciation.
[This
page was updated 1/11]