March 25
Saints of the Day
 

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord to Virgin Mary and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ

    It is so important this joyous mystery of the Incarnation that when we pray the Creed at the holy Mass the only time we are asked to bow our head is when we pronounce the words, "by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man"... not in the words of the crucifixion, nor in the resurrection, but in the words of the Incarnation!.

    It is the first mystery of the Holy Rosary.

    The annunciation to Mary by the angel Gabriel that she was to be the Mother of God (Luke, 1), the Word being made flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit. The feast of the Annunciation, called also in old calendars the feast of the Incarnation, originated about the time of the Council of Ephesus, c.431, and is first mentioned in the Sacramentary of Pope Gelasius (died 496).

The Annunciation:
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

   29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

   34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

   35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God.”

   38“I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1)[drawing of Saint Dismas]

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1333
Annunciation of the Lord
The Five Dogmas on Mary
 

Saint Dismas

    One of the thieves crucified with Jesus, whom we call usually "the good thief"... He stole Paradise at Calvary, the only one who praised Jesus at Calvary. The other being traditionally known as Gestas; Dismas is the one who rebuked the other, and asked for Christ's blessing.

    This Saint did not have to be canonized by the Church because Jesus did it Himself on the Cross,

    39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

   40But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don't you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

   42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

   43Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23).

    And for sure Dismas is not alone and boring now in Paradise, but in the company of millions like Peter and Paul, and, of course, with the Queen Virgin Mary.

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintd11.htm

Saints of March 25:

http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0325.htm

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