Suggested Activities for March 25, 2012 (The Day of the Unborn and The Feast of the Annunciation

{which will be celebrated on March 26 this year}) 1. Ideas from Day of the Unborn Child.com: http://dayoftheunbornchild.com/Ideas%20for%20Public%20&%2 0Private%20Observance.htm Ideas for Honoring the Day: (click on each link you wish to view) There are many ways to make the day memorable and meaningful. Whether our activities take place on March 25th or as near as practicable, we can always point out the gestational interval leading up to Christmas. On the Annunciation feast, we can focus on Christs joyfully announced Incarnation or the application of its pro-life import--or better still we can combine the two. But note that as a prolife observance, the Day of the Unborn Child is different from other pro-life memorials in that it is rooted deep in history upon the wondrous and joyous event of the Incarnation, and this fact that it is founded on the feast that comes nine months before Christmas should serve to remind us that the Annunciation honors the Word made flesh--Christs conception, for the moment of Incarnation is truly a celebration of the profound mystery of life as the unborn Christ in his full divinity highlights the full humanity of all unborn children. This page offers a great range of ideas for keeping the day special and keeping its meaning in our minds and hearts. There is something for almost everyone. Choose one, and establish it as a yearly tradition, or try something new each year. General: (All ages--public/private, groups/individuals) Spiritual Adoption (9 months of prayer for an unborn child from Mar. 25 to Dec. 25) Highlighting the Christmas/New Year Connection (Annunciation promotion Dec.-Jan.) Carnations for the Incarnation (suggestions on using this symbol to celebrate the day) Ideas for Years in which the Feast is Moved (link the two days & utilize the interval) Private Observance: For Children For Teens For Adults and Families Public Observance: (Also check our Past Events Archive for ideas from previous years) Clergy/Church/School (including the +9 and FirstDays campaigns) Pro-life Groups Individuals

See Also: Events--Current (attend a March 25th event in your area) Worship Resources (for church and prayer centered celebrations) An Ecumenical Celebration (traditions, ideas for sermons--various denominations) American Life League's Annunciation Web Page (including suggestions for home, school, and church based activities) 2. Ideas from the American http://www.all.org/article/index/id/MjY2NQ/ Life League:

The Feast of the Annunciation, traditionally celebrated on March 25, commemorates the angel Gabriel's appearance to the Virgin Mary, when he brought God's message that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. We are encouraged to pray specifically for as many children as possible that day (the feast is celebrated on March 26 this year because March 25 falls on a Sunday). Read about the Annunciation in Luke's gospel The actual account of the Annunciation can be found in the Bible, in the first chapter of Luke's gospel. It begins with the angelic salutation of Gabriel to Mary: "Hail, thou who art highly favored; the Lord is with thee, and Marys response to Gods will, Let it be done to me according to thy word. What better proof of Gods love for us that He chose to take on our humanity. He chose to become one of us as a tiny human baby developing and growing for nine months till His birth, which we celebrate on December 25. What better proof of Gods love for us that He became like us in all things except sin at the moment of His conception in Marys womb. What better proof of Marys faith in God and love for us when she said, "Yes!" Mary said yes to Gods plan because she wanted what God wanted through all the joy, through all the pain. Ways to celebrate in your home and community This would be a great time for families to engage in feast related activities and projects at home, school and in their parishes. Below are listed just a few suggestions contained in the resource booklet, "Life Is a Miracle." Home:
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Have children draw or make a clay model of the Annunciation scene with the Trinity present-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-as well as Mary and the angel Gabriel. Make a tableau using a box to represent Marys house. Make a flower centerpiece for the dinner table using red carnations (symbolize incarnation), babys breath (innocent, spirit) and ivy (eternal fidelity). The symbolism of the flowers reminds us of the Annunciation.

Bake a special cake for the occasion-an angel food cake iced in pale blue. The traditional color of Marys mantle is blue. School: o Draw on Scripture: slowly read Luke 1:26-38, the account of the Annunciation. Ask the students to jot down words or phrases that strike them during the reading. After the reading, have them draw symbols that capture the words or phrases they noted. Let students share their reflections and symbols with the class. o Talk about vocations: have the class list the various calls or vocations one might receive (married life, single life, priesthood, diaconate, consecrated life as a brother or sister). Have the class as a whole compose a prayer, asking God to lead each one of them to know his or her vocation in life (just as the call Mary received from God was to a special way of life) o Pray the Angelus: instruct the students that the Angelus is a traditional prayer about the mystery of the Incarnation. It is usually prayed each day in the morning, noon and evening. Have the students pray the Angelus at the end of class. Parish: o Annunciation bell ringing: in commemoration of the Incarnation of Jesus. Church bells are to ring morning, noon and evening along with the recitation of the Angelus. o Mary garden: the creation of a Mary garden on church or school grounds where students and/or parishioners could sit and reflect on the preborn Christ for the nine months before His birth. There is a prayer service with a beautiful reflection for each of the nine months of Marys pregnancy. o Presentation of flower bud: at every Mass on the weekend of the Annunciation, each pregnant woman would be presented with a flower still in bud. Just as March is the beginning of spring and new life so the presentation of the flower is the symbol of new life in the womb. The flower not in bloom represents the baby still in womb. Both will come to bloom.
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These ideas and suggestions on celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation are just a handful of the ever so many available in Life Is a Miracle. It also contains books, videos, songs, prayers and more. -----------------------

3. Ideas from Women for f.org/Annunciation.html

Faith

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Family:

http://www.wf-

The Annunciation of the Lord Solemnity March 25th Readings - History - Family Observance - Activities with Children - Mary's Flowers Icon - Incarnation - Homily of John Paul II, 3/25/00 - Homily of John Paul II, Aug 15, 2004

The Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Annunciate 1494-97, Tempera on wood, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

Readings and Collect: Collect: O God, who willed that your Word should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man, may merit to become partakers even in his divine nature. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. +Amen. First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, "Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test." And Isaiah said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Take counsel together, but it will come to nought; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us. Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11 R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire; but thou hast given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering thou hast not required. Then I said, "Lo, I come; R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. In the roll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart." R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; lo, I have not restrained my lips, as thou knowest, O LORD. R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. I have not hid thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation. R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:4-10 For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, "Sacrifices and offerings Thou hast not desired, but a body hast Thou prepared for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings Thou hast taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to do Thy will, O God', as it is written of Me in the roll of the book." When He said above, "Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then He added, "Lo, I have come to do Thy will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And 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; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. The Annunciation The Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, is one of the most important in the Church calendar. It celebrates the actual Incarnation of Our Savior the Word made flesh in the womb of His mother, Mary. The biblical account of the Annunciation is in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke, 26-56. Saint Luke describes the annunciation given by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she was to become the mother of the Incarnation of God. Here is recorded the "angelic salutation" of Gabriel to Mary, 'Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (Ave, gratia plena, Dominus tecum - Lk 1:28), and Mary's response to God's will, "Let it be done to me according to thy word" (fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum) (v. 38)

This "angelic salutation" is the origin of the "Hail Mary" prayer of the Rosary and the Angelus (the second part of the prayer comes from the words of salutation of Elizabeth to Mary at the Visitation). The Angelus, a devotion that daily commemmorates the Annunciation, consists of three Hail Marys separated by short versicles. It is said three times a day -morning, noon and evening -- traditionally at the sound of a bell. The Angelus derives its name from the first word of the versicles, Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae (The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary). Mary's exultant hymn, the Magnificat, found in Luke 1:46-55, has been part of the Church's Liturgy of the Hours, at Vespers (evening prayer), and has been repeated nightly in churches, convents and monasteries for more than a thousand years. The Church's celebration of the Annunciation is believed to date to the early 5th century, possibly originating at about the time of the Council of Ephesus (c 431). Earlier names for the Feast were Festum Incarnationis, and Conceptio Christi, and in the Eastern Churches, the Annunciation is a feast of Christ, but in the Latin Church it is a feast of Mary. The Annunciation has always been celebrated on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas Day. Two other feasts honoring Our Lord's mother, the Assumption (August 15), and the Immaculate Conception (December 8), are celebrated as Holy Days of Obligation in the United States and many other countries. New Year's Day, January 1, is observed as a Solemnity of Mary. The Annunciation was a Holy Day throughout the Universal Church until the early 20th century. Many Catholics who are deeply concerned with the defense of the life of unborn children believe it would be fitting if the Feast of the Annunciation were restored to this status. Although it seems unlikely that it will be added to the Church calendar as a Holy Day of Obligation, we can certainly take on the "obligation" ourselves to attend Mass. In any case, it is most appropriate that we encourage special celebrations in the "Domestic Church". One sign of the significance this Christian feast had throughout Western culture is that New Year's Day was for centuries celebrated on March 25. It was believed by some ancient Christian writers that God created the world on March 25, and that the fall of Adam and the Crucifixion also took place March 25. The secular calendar was changed to begin the year on January 1 (in 1752 in England and colonies, somewhat earlier on the continent). Another remnant of the historic universality of Christianity in the West is the use of BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini The Year of Our Lord) to denote periods of time in history. There has been an attempt in some circles to change BC to BCE (before the common era), and AD to CE (common era) -- and although it is true that the religious significance of our system of dating has been effectively obliterated -- nevertheless, Christians and non-Christians alike consent to the birth of Christ as the "fulcrum" of the dating the events of human history.

Family observance of the Annunciation In families with young children, this feast would be a good time to begin teaching youngsters important lessons about the inestimable value God places on human life. First, that He loved us so much that He chose to become one of us to take on our humanity so completely that He "became flesh", as utterly weak and dependent as any human infant is. Second, God became "like us in all things except sin" at the moment of His conception in Mary's womb, not at some later time. The Feast of the Annunciation is a celebration of the actual Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Children may, quite naturally, think that the birth of Jesus is the time when Our Savior first "became Man", especially since Christmas has become the Christian holiday in our culture. We understand best what we can see, what is visible. The invisible, the hidden, is no less real for our lack of seeing it. (We think of the baby in its mother's womb, known and felt, though unseen, only to her.) Even very young children can know the truth about the growth of a baby inside its mother's body, especially if the mother of the family (or an aunt, perhaps) happens to be pregnant on the holiday. The nine months' wait from March 25 to December 25 for the Baby to be born would be interesting to most children. (God made no special rules for His own bodily development!) What better way than the reading first chapter of Luke to gently begin teaching children about the beginning of each new human life? Children should be told how important it is to every person that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1), and parents can find this feast a valuable teaching moment. The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Article 3 of the Creed: "He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was born of the Virgin Mary" (436-511), should be read by parents. This will not only give adults a timely review of Catholic doctrine, but it can be a great help to us in transmitting important truths of the faith to our children. The summary at the end can help formulate points we want to emphasize. Excerpts from the Catechism could be read aloud to older children. Some other lessons that can be drawn from this important feast on the Church's Calendar are:
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Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit Angels as God's messengers The importance of humility, submission and obedience to God's will The value of hiddenness, silence, quiet (baby in womb, Mary at home, &c.) Family Prayers and Readings

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Saint Luke 1:26-53 ; Magnificat (Luke 1:46-53); Psalm. 139; John 1. Creed (See also Catechism of the Catholic Church, Creed, Article 3.) The Angelus Rosary (Five Joyful Mysteries: Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation of Jesus, Finding of Jesus in the Temple) Catechism: section on Angels (328336)

Activities with children Have children draw an Annunciation scene, with the Trinity present Father, Son and Holy Spirit as well as Mary and the Angel Gabriel. Another idea would be to make the figures from clay or play-dough, and make a "tableau" using a shallow box to represent Mary's house. Mention that Christianity is unique in recognizing the Incarnation of the God as Jesus Christ, the Son. God's taking on a human body, while being truly and fully divine, is the reason why artistic representations of Jesus, Mary, etc., are not "idols" or "graven images" prohibited by the First Commandment. (See Catechism 476, 466). Catholics who properly reverence images of sacred figures are actually reverencing the Person whom the image represents, not the physical object painting or sculpture or medal or whatever. Make a flower centerpiece for the dinner table using red carnations (symbolize "incarnation"), baby's breath (innocence, spirit) and ivy (eternal fidelity). Explain how the symbolism of the flowers reminds us of the Annunciation, and the appropriateness of the gift of real flowers for the occasion. Sprinkle the flowers with Holy Water (little children love to do this!), and explain that this consecrates, or sets apart, our gift to the worship of God. Make a special Annunciation Candle. Use a fat pillar candle of white or blue. Carve a niche in the wax large enough to fit inside it a tiny image (or picture cut from a Christmas card) of the Infant Jesus. Fasten a "curtain", made from a small piece of white cloth, over the opening with pins pushed into the wax. The candle wax represents the purity of the Virgin. The Baby is "hidden" within the body of the candle. Light the candle when the Angelus or Rosary is said on this Feast. The same candle can be saved from year to year. It can also be used on other feast days and solemnities of the Blessed Virgin (Assumption, Immaculate Conception); as well as on Pro-life observances (e.g., January 22, in the US). On Christmas the little curtain would be removed from the niche so the Holy Infant can be seen. Substitute the regular bedtime story with looking at and talking about pictures of the Annunciation in books. There are many beautifully printed art books containing masterworks of Catholic art that can be borrowed from any public library -- or you may have some in your home library. There you may find reproduced paintings of the Annunciation by Fra Angelico, Roger van der Weyden, and others.

Make a household shrine. A statue or picture of Mary could be placed on a small table in a special place in the house. Or a picture or sculpture of Mary could be hung on the wall over a shelf or cabinet containing the Bible, prayer books and other devotional books, rosaries, &c. On Marian feasts, especially the Feast of the Annunciation, decorate the "shrine" to "highly favored" Mary with real flowers, if possible. Carnations, roses or lilies in bud would be ideal. If real flowers are impossible, children could make flowers symbolizing attributes of Mary from tissue or colored paper, etc. (See section on "Mary's flowers" below.) These flowers could be made into a wreath to be hung on the door or placed on a table with a statue or picture of Mary, or to surround the Annunciation Candle. Plant seeds of marigold (named in honor of Mary) in little pots on a window sill; wait to see them sprout and grow. While you and the children are planting these, talk about the importance of "hidden" work. As a baby grows unseen within the mother's womb, and as the sprouting seed invisibly grows under the soil, so is much essential and vital work that people do -- not visible to most people, and perhaps never known except to God. Transplant the seedlings to the flower bed outside when the weather permits. There's also a lesson here in the need to grow strong in the faith before we can "flower" as God intends us to do; also the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:2-20; Matt 13:3-23; Luke 8:4-15). Bake a special cake to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation (perhaps a traditional seed cake?), or make waffles (a Swedish tradition). An angelfood cake would also be appropriate. It could be iced in pale blue, the traditional color of Mary's mantle.

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