Blessed Saint Gabriel, Archangel We beseech you to intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy: As you announced the mystery of the Incarnation to Mary, so through your prayers may we receive strength of faith and courage of spirit, and thus find favor with God and redemption through Christ Our Lord. May we sing the praise of God our Savior with the angels and saints in heaven forever and ever. Amen.
“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him 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 ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 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 holy; he will be called Son of God.” Luke 1:30-35
Saint Gabriel is the patron saint of telecommunication workers, radio broadcasters, postal workers, clerics, and diplomats. All of these jobs fall under the umbrella of communications and messengers.The Latin word for “angel” is “angelus,” which means “messenger.” It’s not surprising that even though all the angels in the Bible are shown delivering messages from God, Gabriel is the one who is given the patronage over all messengers because he delivered the most important message of all: the message to Mary that she would conceive the Son of God.
One thing I did during Lent as part of my 40-day resolution was to go through the process of Marian Consecration by reading Fr. Michael Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory. I chose to consecrate myself on the feast of the Annunciation. Since then, that particular passage from the Gospel of Luke has had special meaning for me, especially since I majored in communications in college. To me, the Annunciation isn’t just about how Jesus was conceived. It also represents a woman learning her destiny. It might not seem like a lot, given that Mary is called to be a mother, but she is tasked with having to carry, give birth to, and raise God made man. It’s not an easy task and Mary deserves all the honors we give because of how much responsibility it entails.
When I was a kid in Catholic school, one of the first prayers I learned was “The Angelus.” I invite you to pray this prayer and ask Saint Gabriel to give you clarity about what God is asking of you today.
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
To Jesus through Mary-Monique Ocampo
