The first joyful mystery of the Rosary, known as the Annunciation, is a fundamental event in Christian tradition, recounted in the Gospel according to Saint Luke. It recounts the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, announcing that she was about to conceive and give birth to the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
One day, in the small town of Nazareth in Galilee, Mary, a pure and pious young woman, was engaged in her daily activities. Suddenly, the angel Gabriel appeared before her, radiant with light and majesty. Greeting Mary, he said: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee". Troubled by these words, Mary wondered what this greeting could mean. Gabriel, sensing her concern, reassured her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father; he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his reign will have no end."
Mary, with humility and faith, replied to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" Gabriel explained to her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and that the power of the Most High would overshadow her. So the child to be born would be holy and would be called the Son of God. In addition, the angel told her that her cousin Elizabeth, although considered barren and advanced in years, was also expecting a child, proof that nothing is impossible with God.
With total obedience and absolute trust in the divine will, Mary replied, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." With these words, she fully accepted the mission God had entrusted to her, marking the beginning of the redemption of humanity.
The Annunciation is celebrated on 25 March, nine months before Christmas, and reminds the faithful of the importance of humility, faith and obedience to God. Mary, by her "yes" to the angel Gabriel, becomes the perfect model of the faithful disciple, paving the way for the coming of the Saviour into the world. This mystical and joyous event also underlines the harmonious collaboration between the divine and the human in God's plan of salvation.
