The Annunciation of the Lord

The Word becomes flesh

O powerful answer, that gladdened Heaven and brought to earth an immense sea of graces and of goods! Answer that, scarcely gone forth from the humble Heart of Mary, drew from the bosom of the Eternal Father the Only-begotten Son into her most pure womb to become Man! Yes, for scarcely were those words uttered — Ecce Ancilla Domini, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum — when at once Verbum caro factum est — the Word was made flesh — and the Son of God became also the Son of Mary.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary, Part II, Discourse IV, On the Annunciation of Mary (excerpt)

Contemplate with Mary

And if we desire to please the Divine Mother, let us salute her often with the Ave Maria.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary, Part II, Discourse IV, On the Annunciation of Mary (excerpt)

Hear the Fathers and Doctors

The angel awaits an answer, for it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too, O Lady, await your word of mercy, we who are miserably weighed down by the sentence of condemnation. Behold, the price of our salvation is offered to you: if you consent, we shall be set free at once. We were all made in God’s eternal Word, and behold, we die; by your brief answer we are to be remade, so that we may be recalled to life.

St. Bernard of ClairvauxIn Praise of the Virgin Mother, Homily IV §8; PL 183, 83CExcerpt, newly translated from the Latin for The Marian Way.More from St. Bernard of Clairvaux →

Thirdly, that she might offer to God the free gift of her obedience: which she proved herself right ready to do, saying: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord."
Fourthly, in order to show that there is a certain spiritual wedlock between the Son of God and human nature. Wherefore in the Annunciation the Virgin's consent was besought in lieu of that of the entire human nature.

St. Thomas AquinasSumma Theologiae III, q. 30, a. 1, answer, third and fourth reasonsFathers of the English Dominican Province, The Summa Theologica, second and revised edition (1920). Two consecutive reasons from Aquinas’s own answer.More from St. Thomas Aquinas →

Pray with the saints

Behold, O Mary, today I present myself to You, and offer myself wholly to your service, and for the little or much that remains to me to live on this earth; and together with You I renounce all Creatures, and dedicate myself entirely to the Love of my Creator. I consecrate to you then, O Queen, my mind, that it may think always of the Love which You deserve; my tongue, to praise you; my heart, to love you.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori · The Glories of Mary · Presentation of Mary, prayer (excerpt)

Let love become an act

Pray the first Joyful Mystery, asking for profound humility through Mary’s intercession.

Pray the Annunciation

Keep the celebration

March 25, 2026Solemnity
April 5, 2027Solemnity
March 25, 2028Solemnity

Dates shown follow the United States Roman Calendar for 2026–2028. A celebration can be transferred, omitted, or observed with a different rank because of precedence. Open the day for its principal liturgy and permitted choices.