Because Good Friday fell on March 25th which is the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the Annunciation, which I personally believe to be equal to the Resurrection in dogmatic importance, was transferred to April 4th which is today.
We all know that it takes nine months for a conceived baby to be born. Because Jesus is perfect as the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity, who at the incarnation, meaning the Annunciation, became man/baby, and thus from that point forward had two natures, human and divine, no matter what date of the Annunciation we know that nine months later will be Christmas or the Nativity of our Lord because the Perfect Man/Baby would never be premature! Everyone knows that!
Thus Christmas will not be celebrated this year but rather twice in 2017. Nine months from today is January 4th, 2017. But the Annunciation will be on March 25th in 2017 so Christmas will be celebrated yet again in 2017 on December 25th.
For the life of me, I do not understand why the Solemnity of the Annunciation isn't a Holy Day of Obligation since it is as important, in fact more important, than the Resurrection. Can we petition the Holy Father to raise the Solemnity of the Annunciation to a Holy Day of Obligation?
And please remind your priest today that all are to genuflect during the Credo at the Words "Incarnatus est."
I would also recommend the Last Gospel at every Ordinary Form Mass on the Annunciation.
4 comments:
These days, a pregnancy is considered full term at 37 weeks, rather than 40, so a December 2016 birth is still a safe bet...
And Easter happens twice this year too...as the (Eastern) Orthodox Easter, this years in many years, happens after the "western" one.
Yesterday's Mass (deferred Annunciation) at the Oxford Oratory was Solemn and used the 1962 Missal. This is the normative form of the Rite, but most parishes did not have enough clergy to provide a deacon and subdeacon and so had to settle for a Missa Cantata. As a child I don't remember a Solemn Mass - you would have had to go to the cathedral and my memories are of sitting behind a pillar not being able to see anything.
Having been 'reconnected', as it were, to the ideal expression of the Roman Rite, certain things stand out. Despite the rich decoration of the sanctuary and the exquisite vestments (even the subdeacon's humeral veil was emblazoned with an image of Our Lady) there is nothing showy about it. If the ministers know what they are supposed to do, and it's not something that can be improvised, everything flows effortlessly. An MC, two acolytes and a thurifer make up the servers (Oratorians rarely use a processional cross) so there is no clutter. Since the deacon is also a priest, he can assist in distributing Communion. Unlike the strictly linear Novus Ordo, which has a habit of grinding to a halt when anybody sings anything, it is layered. The celebrant is not left standing at the altar waiting for the choir to finish before he can continue with the Orate Fratres or begin the Eucharistic Prayer. He recites the Agnus Dei and the choir's singing of it continues during his Communion. No hanging around before he can turn to the people and announce 'Ecce Agnus Dei'.
The co-ordinated and ritual movements of those in the sanctuary do indeed constitute a form of liturgical dance. But it is not in the least balletic since it is not done in time to the music, which forms a separate layer. The text, which underlies everything, also occupies a separate layer - and yet the text, music and ritual action combine to form a whole. And all three emphasize the diachronic and historic nature of the Church's public worship.
I can understand the liturgical reformers' dissatisfaction with the Low Mass. Few of their criticisms applied to the Solemn Mass. Yet as early as 1964 they were demanding changes which would, when implemented, modify the Rite to an extent which was revolutionary and was (as they cheerfully admitted) merely the harbinger of future changes.
By the way, the Mass last night which included a homily lasted but five minutes over an hour. The Roman Rite is not unnecessarily prolix and most genuine liturgists regard SC's reference to 'unnecessary repetitions' as both inaccurate and gratuitously offensive.
Some interesting Catholic trivia:
Good Friday is most commonly marked as the one day of the year where the Eucharistic Sacrifice does not take place. However, in the Eastern Catholic Churches, Annunciation is such an important feast that the Divine Liturgy is always celebrated even if it falls on Good Friday as it did this year. In my local Byzantine Catholic Church, the Divine Liturgy in celebration of the Annunciation was celebrated in the morning, while the Burial Vespers (where we gather to "bury" a shroud with an image of the crucified Lord) is celebrated in the evening. A truly beautiful juxtaposition of two of the most important days in salvation history.
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