The solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord was celebrated this year again in Nazareth. On 24 and 25 March, many local faithful and religious of the Holy Land gathered in the Basilica of the Annunciation (a jubilee site, Jubilee of hope, 2025) to remember Mary’s “yes” to the Archangel Gabriel.
On the eve of the solemnity, Monday 24 March, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, made his solemn entrance into Nazareth. He was welcomed at the parish church of St Anthony by numerous faithful of the local community, the parish priest of Nazareth, Fra Ibrahim Sabbagh and the local scout group.
After the welcome, the procession started off towards the Basilica of the Annunciation. Together with the Patriarch, his Vicar and auxiliary bishop for the North, Mons. Rafic Nahra, and a delegation of the Latin Patriarchate, made up of priests and seminarians, were also present.
The welcome to the Basilica and the prayer of Vespers
When he reached the doors of the Basilica, Cardinal Pizzaballa was welcomed by representatives of the other local Christian communities with whom he exchanged greetings. Waiting for him in the Basilica were the Franciscans led by Fra Wojciech Bołoz, Guardian and rector of the Basilica of the Annunciation and of the Shrine of the Holy Family in Nazareth. After the rite of the aspersion and incensation, the delegation prayed around the place which guards Mary’s house.
In his welcome address to the Patriarch, Fra Ibrahim stressed the deep meaning of this feast day: “We try to live the mystery of the incarnation every day n to bear witness to it in our life. In this Jubilee of Hope, we wish with all our hearts to be witnesses to Christ here in Nazareth, where the Word became Flesh.”
This was followed by the celebration of solemn vespers, presided over by Fra Wojciech Bołoz and the recital of the Angelus guide by the Patriarch.
The Vigil of Prayer at the Grotto of the Annunciation
At 8.30 p.m., the Franciscan friars gathered in prayer at the Grotto of the Annunciation. The celebration, presided over by the Guardian of the Nazareth convent, was in two parts: adoration of the Word, with the reading of the evangelical passaged linked to the mystery of the Incarnation, followed by the adoration of the Eucharist.
The Solemn Mass in the Basilica of the Annunciation
On Tuesday 25 March, the day of the Solemnity, Cardinal Pizzaballa presided over the Holy Mass in the Basilica of the Annunciation, in the presence of a large assembly of faithful. The celebration started with a procession from St Joseph’s church to the Basilica, by the scouts. On this occasion, the relic, a fragment of rock of Mary’ house, was carried in the procession.
Together with the Patriarch, Mons. Rafic Nahra, Mons. Giacinto Boulos Marcuzzo, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus, Fra Ibrahim Sabbagh and Fra Wojciech Bołoz were the concelebrants.
Mary’s “yes”: a hope for the world
During the homily, the Patriarch wanted to reflect on the universal value of Mary’s “yes”: “today Mary reminds us that here God changed the history of the world. Through his ‘Here I am’, God has inhabited our history, our time and our human condition. Just as the entrance of God into history passed through the Virgin Mary’s “yes,” today it passes through the ‘yes’ of the Church: our ‘yes’, our consent and our acceptance of His Word of life.”
Memory of the incarnation of the Word of God
At the end of the liturgy, the faithful watched the traditional procession in the Upper Basilica, called “Memory of the Incarnation of the Word of God” (“Memoria Verbi Dei Incarnationis”). During the procession, three passages from the Gospels (John 1, 1-8; John 1, 9-18; Matthew 1, 18-25), which contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation, were proclaimed in Latin, in Arabic and in English. The procession was followed by the recital of the Angelus.
At the end, the Patriarch gave the apostolic blessing to the faithful and the religious present, using the sacred relic of Mary’s house, sealing this day of celebration and prayer with a solemn gesture.
By Lucia Borgato | custodia.org
Source Link: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/solemnity-of-the-annunciation-of-the-lord-in-nazareth-a-yes-that-changed-history/
