Mary's Annunciation

Begin in silence…
Close your eyes and sit quietly for a few moments before beginning today’s session. Take some deep breaths and open your hands as a posture of receptiveness before the Lord.

Set the scene…
In today’s scene, we enter the small Galilean village of Nazareth. While we recognize this place for its connection to Jesus, it was an unremarkable town in the ancient world. In John 1:46, even one of Jesus’ future disciples questions: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”

This is the very beginning of the account of the birth story of Jesus. Mary, a girl likely between twelve and fourteen years old, is pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. At this stage, a written contract has likely been drawn up between their parents. With the wedding as much as a year away, Mary still lives in her family home.

Throughout the region, turmoil abounds among the Jewish people who are subject to Roman rule. Mary is one girl among generations of Jews longing to be delivered through a messiah from the lineage of King David.