Pastor's Corner, March 22, 2015

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

On March 25 the Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation. We celebrate the Incarnation of Our Savior in the womb of Mary following her “fiat” (“Let it be done”) to the message of the angel Gabriel that God the Father wished her to be the mother of His Son.

Some evidence suggests that this date was chosen not because it is exactly nine months prior to Christmas but rather that it was believed to be the date of the crucifixion. In Christian antiquity March 25 was considered to be the date of the creation of Adam and the date of the death of Christ. It was believed that the date of someone’s death was also the date of their conception and so March 25 became the day to celebrate the Incarnation of the Lord or, as we call it today, the Annunciation of the Lord.

No matter the reason for assigning the date, this feast is a powerful statement about the love of God and the dignity of each human life. In reflecting on the Incarnation, St. John Paul II says, “This saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God who ‘so loved the world that he gave his only Son’ (Jn 3:16), but also the incomparable value of every human person” (Evangelium Vitae, 2).

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker