Catechist Background and Preparation
To prepare for the session, read all the readings.
Isaiah 7:10-14,
Psalm 40: 7-8, 8-9, 10 and 11
Hebrews 10:4-10
Luke 1:26-38
Spend a few minutes reflecting on what these readings mean for you today. Was there a particular reading which appealed to you? Was there a word or image that engaged you?
Read the Word in Liturgy and Catholic Doctrine sections. These give you background on what you will be doing this session. Read over the session outline and make it your own. Check to see what materials you will need for the session.
Catholic Doctrine
Mary is to be the Mother of the Messiah
The Annunciation is the way God sent the message of God’s plan to Mary. God planned to enter human history. Through the angel, Gabriel, God sent a message to Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Because of Old Testament scriptures, we believe that Mary understood that the Messiah would be divine and prophetic. She knew, too, that the Messiah would come from the family of David. God had already intervened in human history through human mediators so it is not clear that Mary truly understood at the point of conception that Jesus would share God’s divinity and that she would be the Mother of God. Even at Pentecost when a new understanding came to all disciples, including Mary, she did not see Jesus as God, but rather saw the presence of God in Jesus. There was no doubt in her mind that God planned to save the people through the Messiah. She knew that Jesus was that Messiah and that she was the mother of the Messiah.
We may wonder what Mary actually understood at the time she received God’s message, but more important, we know that she knew that she held a significant role in God’s plan. Most importantly, Mary responded to the angel stating that she was the “handmaid of the Lord” and agreed to do as God had asked her.
For the most part, this feast celebrates Jesus coming into the world, but we honor Mary for her role in the salvation of humankind. In prior years, we celebrated this announcement during Lent, but in recent years, the Church sets nine months prior to the celebration of Jesus’ birth, as the day of his conception. It is the day that Mary said “yes” to God.
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