Solemnity - The Annunciation of the Lord

He emptied himself; though invisible he made himself visible, though Creator and Lord of all things he chose to be one of us mortal men. Yet this was the condescension of compassion, not the loss of omnipotence. So he who in the nature of God had created man, became in the nature of a servant, man himself.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - Easter is more than a day. It is a season of Resurrection as the Church prepares for the Feast of Pentecost, celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Christian Church.

This is a wonderful time to read the Fathers of the Faith as they encourage, challenge, and call us to a deeper life in Christ. Listen to them as they speak to the Church from across the continuum of history.

During the Season of Easter, Catholic Online will be publishing a daily excerpt of the Fathers taken from the Office of Readings along with questions for reflection. We want to help our online community enter fully into the life and faith that is ours in the Church.

Solemnity: The Annunciation of the Lord

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 17:1 - 15

Reading: From a letter by Saint Leo the Great, pope
St. Leo the Great was born in Tuscany and served as Pope from 440 A.D. until his death in 461. Next to St. Gregory the Great, St. Leo's pontificate is considered the most significant in early Church history.

In 445 he persuaded Emporer Valentinian to issue an edict recognizing the primacy of the Bishop of Rome. He also established the doctrine of the Incarnation first by a letter to Flavian, the Patriarch of Constantinople, during a battle in the East over monophysitism. At the Council of Chalcedon in 451 this same letter was confirmed as true declaration of Catholic Faith concerning the Person of Christ.

Secular historians recorded Pope St. Leo's influence during the barbarian invasions. He met Attila the Hun at the gates of Rome and persuaded him to turn back. He left a great legacy both in his leadership and his writings when he died in 461.

The Mystery of Man's Reconciliation with God

"Lowliness is assured by majesty, weakness by power, mortality by eternity. To pay the debt of our sinful state, a nature that was incapable of suffering was joined to one that could suffer. Thus, in keeping with the healing that we needed, one and the same mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, was able to die in one nature, and unable to die in the other.

He who is true God was therefore born in the complete and perfect nature of a true man, whole in his own nature, whole in ours. By our nature we mean what the Creator had fashioned in us from the beginning, and took to himself in order to restore it.

For in the Saviour there was no trace of what the deceiver introduced and man, being misled, allowed to enter. It does not follow that because he submitted to sharing in our human weakness he therefore shared in our sins.

He took the nature of a servant without stain of sin, enlarging our humanity without diminishing his divinity. He emptied himself; though invisible he made himself visible, though Creator and Lord of all things he chose to be one of us mortal men. Yet this was the condescension of compassion, not the loss of omnipotence. So he who in the nature of God had created man, became in the nature of a servant, man himself.

Thus the Son of God enters this lowly world. He comes down from the throne of heaven, yet does not separate himself from the Father's glory. He is born in a new condition, by a new birth.

He was born in a new condition, for, invisible in his own nature, he became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, he chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, he began to exist at a moment in time. Lord of the universe, he hid his infinite glory and took the nature of a servant. Incapable of suffering as God, he did not refuse to be a man, capable of suffering. Immortal, he chose to be subject to the laws of death.

He who is true God is also true man. There is no falsehood in this unity as long as the lowliness of man and the pre-eminence of God coexist in mutual relationship.

As God does not change by his condescension, so man is not swallowed up by being exalted. Each nature exercises its own activity, in communion with the other. The Word does what is proper to the Word, the flesh fulfils what is proper to the flesh.

One nature is resplendent with miracles, the other falls victim to injuries. As the Word does not lose equality with the Father's glory, so the flesh does not leave behind the nature of our race.

One and the same person - this must be said over and over again - is truly the Son of God and truly the son of man. He is God in virtue of the fact that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He is man in virtue of the fact that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

Reflection:
1) Pope St. Leo lived at a time when small groups within the Church began to tamper with the understanding of who Jesus was. The Pontiff used every opportunity to clearly and accurately explain the truth of the Christ, truly man and truly God. Are we facing some of the same crises today? How might his teachings be important at our particular time in history?

2) St. Leo states that Jesus "took the nature of a servant without stain of sin, enlarging our humanity without diminishing his divinity." Look up Philippians 2: 5-11 in your Bible. St. Paul uses this verse as a challenge to Christians to have the same attitude or mindset. In what ways can we have the same outlook as Jesus?

3) As you reflect on Jesus willingness to become a servant, think also of the word uttered by His mother at the Annunciation - "Fiat" - Let it be to me as you have said. Are there ways we need to also offer the Lord our own fiat?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you sent Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, into the world that through his death we might have life. Grant us the grace to have that same attitude, emptying ourselves of everything that hinders us from giving our lives to you, and to say yes to your call for commitment. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with and the Holy Spirit are glorified now and unto ages of ages. Amen.

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