Behold the Handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Thy word. (Luke 1: 38)
Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction (Deus Caritas Est, 1). Encountering Jesus—true God and true man—especially in the Eucharist, generates love. Ignited by the One who is Love, this love, this virtue of charity, if unimpeded, emanates naturally into well-ordered activity that has as its goal the glory of God, the integral development of each human person, and the imbuing of the temporal order with the spirit of Christ. The desire to bring the goodness, truth and beauty of God into the world in which we live, always and rightly springs from experiencing Him.
Our desire, here at Annunciation, is to create an environment in which Jesus is profoundly encountered in the Sacraments, in the proclamation of the Word, in quiet prayer and in our community. Through this encounter, we hope to encourage and inspire one another to become authentic believers by permeating every dimension of our lives with the Gospel--by making concrete that which we profess.
Were we left with only our own imaginations and abstract speculations, putting into practice that which we read and profess would be tenuous at best. But as it is, we look to the Church and to our Patroness, whose concrete and exemplary discipleship makes tangible what otherwise would have remained obscure. The Saints do this in general, Mary did this in an unparalleled manor, as she co-operated most intensely in Jesus’ suffering and death.
With trust then, in the great Mother of God, who always seeks to introduce us more deeply to her Son, we strive to fulfill our mission in the third millennium of Christianity.