Catholic in Yanchep

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The Solemnity of the Annunciation 2024

This year, the Annunciation of The Lord (which usually occurs exactly nine months before Christmas on 25th March for obvious reasons) has been moved to Monday 8th April (or Low Monday in the old parlance). This is because whenever the Annunciation occurs during Holy Week, it is moved into the Easter Season, so that we can properly celebrate this important feast.

I personally believe it would be more authentic not to move it, because there is a long tradition of Jesus having died and been conceived on the same day, 25th March, which was the Roman date of the Spring Equinox, so it should be seen as auspicious if the Annunciation falls close to Easter. For some of the history of this, read here, concentrating on the Christian bits:
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/how-december-25-became-christmas/
and also here:
https://aclerkofoxford.blogspot.com/2016/03/this-doubtful-day-of-feast-or-fast-good.html

The earliest account is from an anonymous writer from North Africa in a treatise On Solstices and Equinoxes:

Therefore our Lord was conceived on the eighth of the kalends of April in the month of March [March 25], which is the day of the passion of the Lord and of his conception. For on that day he was conceived on the same he suffered.

At any rate, the main point of this post is to announce that we will have Mass for the Solemnity of the Annunciation at 6 p.m. at the Presbytery on Monday 8th. Deo gratias!


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Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B | His reign will have no end

The Annunciation with St Dominic, Fra Angelico (1395 – 1455), Cell No. 3, Fresco Cycle in the Dominican Convent of San Marco, Florence.

The Annunciation with St Dominic, Fra Angelico (1395 – 1455), Cell No. 3, Fresco Cycle in the Dominican Convent of San Marco, Florence.

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, the angel says, “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.”

How is Jesus the fulfilment of Old Testament expectations?  Fr Robert Barron talks about kingship from Adam to Jesus in his homily here:

Click-here-to-listen

 

Download the readings here:

Word format:Year B Advent 4th Sunday

Pdf format: Year B Advent 4th Sunday

For a scripture study on these readings, see John Kincaid’s commentary at The Sacred Page.

And if you are fascinated by the idea of angels bringing messages from God, watch Professor of Philosophy, Peter Kreeft, discussing angels (and demons) here: