the feast of the annunciation

All rights are reserved to the author
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of all the
Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark


Name of the book: The Feast of the Annunciation
Author: His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
Editor: Orthodox Coptic Clerical College, Cairo
First Edition: April 1997
Press: Amba Rueiss, (Offset) - The Cathedral - Abbassia
Deposition number at "The Library": 97 / 475 977 - 5345 - 38



In the Name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
the One God,
Amen.
You will read in this pamphlet about the Annunciation of
the Nativity of Christ, glory be to Him, and the annunciations
which preceded and succeeded it. It is the annunciation of
salvation for the world. It is the first feast of the Lord. It is an
annunciation of love, because the reason of the Incarnation
and Redemption is the love of God for the world. The Lord
Christ has offered to us rejoicing annunciations and has
presented God to us as a loving Father.
What shall we then announce to people? Let there be in
your mouths, all of you, a rejoicing annunciation for
everybody.
Pope Shenouda III

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The feast of the Annunciation comes every year on the 29th of
Baramhat. There is between it and the Feast of the Nativity which comes
on the 29th of Kiahk, a period of nine months that constitutes the peiod of
the holy pregnancy with the Lord Christ.
The Annunciation
Thus the feast of the Annunciation is the first among the Lord
feasts. We remember in it the Annunciation of the archangel Gabriel to the
Holy Virgin saying to her:
"Hail to you, you full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you
among women! ......... And behold, you will conceive in your womb and
bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will
be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the
throne of his father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1: 26-33).
When the Virgin was astonished saying: "How can this be, since I do
not know a man?", the angel replied: "The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also,
that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1: 34-35).
The angel announced to her about the conception of Elisabeth while
she was an old woman. Then he said: "For with God nothing will be
impossible" (Luke 1:37).
The Virgin received this annunciation, or this assignment, with
submission to the divine will and said: "Behold the maid-servant of the
Lord! Let it be according to your word. And the angel departed from her"
(Luke 1: 38-39)...... having accomplished his mission.
Other annunciations
There were other annunciations before and after The
Annunciation:
There was before it, the annunciation of the angel to the priest
Zacharias with the birth of his son John the Baptist. That one who will be the angel who prepares the way before the
Lord Christ (Mark 1:2); and about whom there was the prophecy of the
prophet Malachi (Mal. 3:1).
The angel of the Lord "appeared to him, standing on the right side
of the altar of incense", and announced to him saying:
"....and your wife Elisabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call
his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will

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rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and shall
drink neither wine nor strong drink ......... He will also go before Him in
the spirit and power of Elijah.........."(Luke 1:8:17).
The Annunciation of the angel to the Virgin was followed by
another annunciation to Joseph the Carpentar. "an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: "Joseph,
son of David, do not be afraid to take to yo Mary your wife, for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a
Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from
their sins" (Matt. 1:20-21). And he reminded him of the prophecy of the
prophet Isaiah: "Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and
shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
When the Lord Christ was born, another annunciation was sent to
the shepherds and to all the people:
An angel of the Lord appeared to "sh epherds living out in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night...... and the glory of the Lord
shone around them ....... Then the angel said to them: "I bring you good
tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you
this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord ...... And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, goodwill toward men" (Luke 2: 8-14).
The Annunciation is joy
An annunciation always brings rejoicing news. Therefore the Gospel is called "besharah" (in Arabic, meaning
annunciation). We say "the besharah" of Matthew, the "besharah" of
Mark.... because the Gospel brings rejoic ing news, Good News, news
about the Salvation which the Lord Christ offered in view of our
Redemption; and also because the Gospel brings us rejoicing news about
the beautiful instructions of Christ, that rejoices every heart who loves
virtue and holiness; since spiritual people rejoice with the word of God as
if they have found great riches (Ps. 119).
The feast of the Annunciation brings an annunciation of
Salvation. That is clear from the words of the angel: "and you shall call His
name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). The
word "Jesus" means saviour.
Therefore also, the angel said to the shepherds: "For there is born to
you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord"
(Luke 2:11).

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The Holy Virgin sang in her encounter with saint Elisabeth, with
this song saying: "And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour"
(Luke 1:47).
This Annunciation of Salvation was neither only for the Saint
Virgin, nor only for the shepherds, but for all the world. Therefore the angel said to the shepherds: "I bring you good tidings
of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day
in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2: 1 0-11).
It is about this salvation which is for all, that the old man Simeon,
when he took the child Jesus up in his arms, blessed God and said: "Lord,
now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your
word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared
before the face of all peoples" (Luke 2:29-31).
The good news of salvation is then for everybody and for all
peoples. It arrived first to the ears of our mother the Holy Virgin Mary,
then to the others.
The beginning of reconciliation
The annunciation of the birth of the Lord Christ was the
beginning of the reconciliation between heaven and earth: The beginning of the reconciliation between God and men, after a
long dissension since Adam and Eve....... The way to the tree of life was
closed, and was guarded by the cherubim with a flaming sword
(Gen. 3:24). The Holiest of All was behind the veil, and nobody from the
people could enter it (Heb. 9: 3,7).
In the previous period to the coming of the Lord Christ, there were
neither prophets, nor talking between God and men, nor holy visions, nor
angels whom God sent to men..... It was a long period during which
human beings were alienated from God.
Then came the Annunciation as a prelude of reconciliation between
God and men.
The visions of angels multiplied, accompanied by rejoicing epistles
that were the Annunciation of the Saviour......
It was an annunciation of a spiritual sa