Feast of the Annunciation

 Today, we celebrate one of the greatest mysteries of our faith—the moment when the Word became flesh. Not in a royal palace, not in a place of power, but in a small town, in the simple life of a young woman named Mary.

I’ve had the privilege of visiting the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. In the lower church, there is a cave, the very place where tradition tells us Mary encountered the angel Gabriel. On the altar inside that cave, an inscription reads: Verbum caro hic factum est—"The Word became flesh… here!"

That single word—"here"—is striking. It reminds us that God's great act of salvation didn’t happen in some distant, abstract way. It happened in a real place, at a real moment in history. God entered our world in the most concrete way possible, taking on our humanity in the womb of Mary.

But this mystery isn’t just about a past event. It is about how God still desires to dwell among us here—in our hearts, in our daily lives, in the simple moments where we say "yes" to Him. Just as Mary’s fiat, her "Let it be done," changed history, our own yes to God allows His grace to work in and through us.

As we celebrate this feast, let’s ask ourselves: Where is God asking to enter here in my life? Where is He waiting for my yes? May Mary’s faith inspire us to trust, to surrender, and to welcome Christ here—in our lives and in our world.