Each year the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Annunciation on March 25, a day that commemorates the incarnation of Jesus Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mary, exactly nine months before we celebrate his birth on Christmas.
It is a day that is permeated by a “spirit of obedience,” as the Virgin Mary freely submitted to the will of God and allowed the Messiah to dwell within her. It is a great mystery, one that should inspire us to allow God’s will to form everything that we do.
To help prepare for this feast, below is a popular novena to Our Lady of the Annunciation, typically prayed during the days before March 25 (though it could also be prayed after the feast as well, or any time of the year).
It asks for the Virgin Mary’s heavenly intercession, placing before her our needs and petitions.
I greet you, Ever-blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Throne of Grace, miracle of Almighty Power! I greet you, Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity and Queen of the Universe, Mother of Mercy and refuge of sinners!Most loving Mother, attracted by your beauty and sweetness, and by your tender compassion, I confidently turn to you, miserable as I am, and beg of you to obtain for me from your dear Son the favor I request in this novena:(Mention your petitions here)Obtain for me also, Queen of heaven, the most lively contrition for my many sins and the grace to imitate closely those virtues which you practiced so faithfully, especially humility, purity, and obedience. Above all, I beg you to be my Mother and Protectress, to receive me into the number of your devoted children, and to guide me from your high throne of glory.Do not reject my petitions, Mother of Mercy! Have pity on me, and do not abandon me during life or at the moment of my death. Amen.
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And today we celebrate...