Lent, Mondays, and Baby Jesus...?

Today I woke up thinking that it would be a normal Monday, and I hate Mondays.  They are always difficult for me – I struggle to pull myself out of bed; I force myself to brush my teeth, comb my hair;  I thank God I had the foresight to iron my clothes the night before… usually.

So, as with most Mondays, these experiences manifested themselves.  When I finally pulled myself together and walked to the chapel, I plopped down in my seat and simply waited for the lights to turn on at the ring of the 8 A.M. bell, the organ to begin playing, and my spirit to catch up with my body.

The bell rang.  The lights turned on.  The seminarian body stood.  The organ began to play… “What Child is This?”  Whoa; wait a minute.  We’re singing “What Child is This?”  A split second passes as I try to collect my shattered presumptions of the day.  I scramble to place this song within the context of Lent… and I fall short.  But, being the good seminarian that I am, I don’t let on.  I sing along with everyone, hoping my psychological vertigo dissipates.

The hymn is over, and we all sit again.  I open my breviary to the Morning Prayer of the day, and my soul is put at ease – “The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.”  

You know, I often forget about this feast.  Sure, I remember Christ’s birth, His death and resurrection, and His ascension, but this solemnity holds an importance to our Church, especially in light of the understanding of life in modernity.  

This feast marks the moment in time when the “Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”  This is the fundamental reason why the Catholic Church is so steadfast in Her belief that life begins at the moment of conception.  This is not a new dogma, but a pillar of theology and anthropology.  It is by the Annunciation that God relates to His creatures.  It is by this condescension that we come to relate to our Creator.  Relationship between God and Man is made manifest in the Incarnation, and the Incarnation started at the Annunciation.

So today, take a moment to thank God for His Love for us, a Love that has given us salvation, and be grateful.  

 

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Amen.