The Story of the Annunciation (ages 4-6)

When Mary became a young woman, God sent an Angel to her with a very important message. The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, a city in the country called Galilee where Mary had lived with her parents as a young child. Later, when her parents were very old, she was engaged to an older man named Joseph who promised to take care of her. The angel had a message for her from God. The angel greeted her and said: “Rejoice, O favored one. The Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women!”

 Mary was surprised and didn’t know what kind of greeting this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is pleased with you and will bless you with a son. You will call him 'Jesus.' Mary didn’t know what to say. Mary and Joseph were not yet married, so she asked: “How can I have a child, for I have no husband?” But the angel said to her: “God is sending His Holy Spirit to you, and the power of God will come to you. You will give birth to a child that will be called holy, for He is the Son of God. Mary asked the Angel, “How can this be?" And the angel said to her: "This will happen because nothing is impossible with God." Mary answered and said: “I am the handmaid (servant) of the Lord. Let this be done to me according to your word,” and the angel went away.

 The songs that we sing on this feast day are very happy. They tell us that God’s Son will become the son of Mary. He will be born on earth and live with us, just as the angel said! God’s Son will come Himself to teach us about God the Father. In the hymn of the feast we give our thanks to Mary and sing: “Rejoice, you who are full of grace; the Lord is with you!” We also sing a hymn to the angel, the leader of all the angels in heaven.