 |
| The Annunciation (Painting by El Greco) |
Anno Domini (abbreviated
A.D. or AD, meaning “in the year of the Lord” from Medieval Latin) is usually thought to begin with Christ’s birth.
However, AD 1 can also coincide with the Annunciation (aka “the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary” or “the Annunciation of the Lord” – meaning “the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God…”).
Wikipedia also reports that since there is no year zero, AD 1 immediately follows BC 1.
The Feast of the Annunciation usually occurs on March 25th (nine months before the December 25th “birthday” of Jesus). It is one of the Church’s twelve Great Feast days, and is close to the New Year on some calendars.
English speakers of the western liturgical traditions have often referred to this Great Feast as Lady Day.
The term “Lady,” of course, is used in honor of the Virgin Mary.
There are two Annunciation stories in the Bible – one within Luke 1:26-38, and the other within Matthew 1:18-21. The
Matthew version focuses upon Joseph’s role, and explains that “an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream” to assure him that Mary’s child was, indeed, “of the Holy Ghost.” Many sections of the Hail Mary prayers have been derived from the Luke verses. For
example, Luke 1:28 states: …Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women…
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Mary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_Domini
No comments:
Post a Comment