The Introit
The richest of the people will seek your | favor,
In many-colored robes she is led | to the king,
With her virgin companions following be- | hind her
With joy and | gladness.
My heart overflows with a | pleasing theme;
I address my verses | to the king.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The richest of the people will seek your | favor,
In many-colored robes she is led | to the king,
With her virgin companions following be- | hind her
With joy and | gladness.
The Collect of the Day
O Lord, as we have known the incarnation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, by the message of the angel to the virgin Mary, so by the message of His cross and passion bring us to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
The Annunciation, c. 1503, Albrecht Dürer, German, from the Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Gradual
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of | Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall | bear fruit.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and | bear a son,
and shall call his name Im- | manuel.
The Epistle
Isaiah 7:10-16
Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”
Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings."
The Annunciation, c. 1583, by Tobias Stimmer, Swiss from the Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Tract
The angel of the Lord came to Ma- | ry and said,
“Greetings, O | favored one,
the Lord | is with you!
Blessed are you among | women.”
The Holy Gospel
Luke 1:26-38
Alleluia! 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. Alleluia!
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then 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 bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.