Have a blessed Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord!    

From Fr. Cook's article in the March 23rd bulletin:

Ever wonder why the months of September, October, November, and December derive from the numbers 7, 8, 9, and 10? It’s because our calendar year, from the Middle Ages until the 17^th and even 18^th centuries, began in March. In fact, until 1752 the United States colonies celebrated New Year’s Day on March 25^th! If March is considered the first month, then September is the seventh month, October is the eighth month, and so on and so on. I only learned this astonishing fact while reading about our current Jubilee Year of 2025. Why was March long considered the first month of the year?

In addition to the vernal equinox that falls in March, as well as the burgeoning and blossoming buds of springtime that hearken to new things, March also contains the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the moment the Word of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, was conceived and made incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary. March 25^th is the day we commemorate this event and the beginning of our salvation in Jesus Christ. Moreover, Easter Sunday - along with its corresponding theme of Resurrection - sometimes occurs in March (or at least early April). Springtime, the Annunciation, and the Resurrection all reveal the rebirth and new life available in our Savior. Rather than in the dead of winter, what better time than March to inaugurate the New Year? 

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation this Tuesday, March 25^th, may we take a moment to ponder our origins. Why do we exist? When did we first receive the Catholic Faith and who introduced it to us? What key moments have propelled us into greater relationship with God? Have we thanked and prayed for our birth parents who, with the help of God, conceived us? Human life begins with conception. Our lives began in our conception. The Lord desires you and I to exist! He gave us our natural lives and, through grace, wants to give us new, supernatural lives in Him! Let’s start something new this year (pun intended). Let’s celebrate this Tuesday’s Solemnity of the Annunciation with the exuberance usually associated with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Let’s celebrate life and new beginnings! 

The Angelus       

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.
 

'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee' (Lk 1: 28)

'Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb' (Lk 1: 42).

Reminder: St. Philip Neri School Board meets tonight, March 25th, 5:30 p.m. in the SPN School Library.