On March 25th, we commemorate the Annunciation of the Theotokos (Ο Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου).

Χρόνια Πολλά, indeed, because this event marks the anticipation of the greatest miracle: God becoming man and reconciling humanity with Himself, which had been estranged because of the fall of the human race by Adam and Eve.

It was through the Virgin Mary that Christ fulfilled His dispensation towards us, and she became the Theotokos, the New Eve, and her womb became more spacious than the Heavens. According to Saint Luke, she undertook a request given to each of us, which we can examine in the Holy Gospel.

The Annunciation occurs in the first chapter between Verses 26 and 38: “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’ And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast about in her mind what manner of salutation this should be (Luke 1:26-29).”

Much like the prophet Zachariah, the Theotokos was filled with apprehension and doubt. But unlike the Theotokos, Zachariah rejected the salutation from Gabriel and suffered blindness as a consequence.

There will be moments in our lives when the Lord offers us opportunities to humble ourselves and accept His will and the glory He has prepared for us. It may seem to provide discomfort or disgrace, but rather, by humbling ourselves, we are storing treasures in Heaven and renewing ourselves in Christ. We should ensure to partake of communion frequently in this Lenten season so that our struggles that we offer to God as incense reconcile us with His Holy Body and Church.

In this way, Christ abides in us and we in Him. We have already been given a blessing and abundant grace in the Church, but it rests on us synergistically to accept that Grace.

The Greek word for ‘favored’ for the Theotokos is “κεχαριτωμένη,” suggesting, in the perfect passive, that she was already favored prior. It is not that we, by our own doing, become favored, but the Lord honors our free will, and we become holy in cooperation with God.

May we follow in the example of the Theotokos and all the Saints in heeding our calls to bear Christ in ourselves. “And the angel said unto her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Then said Mary, unto the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. And, behold, your cousin Elizabeth, she has also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible’ (Luke 1:30-37).”

Upon hearing our call to bear Christ and be the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, let us respond like the Theotokos: “Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her (Luke 1:38).”