THE ANNUNCIATION - A MANIFESTATION OF ABSOLUTE HOPE

The very name of today's holiday Annonciation (ukr - Благовіщення, Blagovischennja, the word comes from combining two words: "blago" and "vist," that can be translated as "good tidings") carries in itself a premonition of something joyful. It can be compared with first flowers that sprout among the grayness of soil in early spring, with first birdsong or young shoots, who sprout up through the concrete of a metropolis.

Annunciation is the beginning of a great mystery, the beginning of something unprecedented and unheard, a word of indescribable joy.

Through the angel Gabriel our Lord announced to Mary that she will conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Logos, the Son of God. St. Gregory Palamas noticed that the incarnation of God would not be possible without Mary's consent, so she uttered:  “may your word to me be fulfilled.” This is the great role of a woman-mother - to give life to those who is able for miracles and exploits. 

The very spirit of this day could be completely explained in complex with other great Christian holidays: if Christmas is a manifestation of absolute love and Easter - absolute faith, then the Annunciation is a manifestation of absolute hope. Hope, which comes suddenly, as it is reflected on the painting by Rossetti, and which will surely come true.