The Catholic Defender: The Annunciation 1st Joyful Mystery of the Rosary

"In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, Full of Grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “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. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her." Luke 1:26-38

St. Augustine said, "“The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed”. Genesis 3:15 states, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They (she) will strike at your head, while you strike at their (her) heel." This prophecy is given by God Himself in promising that a woman was coming that would bear the seed bringing forth the Messiah. The Virgin Mary was known to be the "New Eve", the Mother of the living. At the fall of man, this promise was made.

Along the way, God would establish Covenants with man in preparing Man for the coming of the Messiah. Adam and Eve would be a Covenant of marriage, Noah would be a Covenant coming through family, Abraham would be a tribal Covenant. All this time was preparing for the coming of the Messiah.

The seven ages of man in a historical sequence goes:

1. Adam to Noah

2. Noah to Abraham

3. Abraham to David

4. David to the Babylonian Captivity

5. Return of Israel to coming of Jesus - John the Baptist the for-runner prepared the way for the Lord

6. Jesus to present - The Virgin Mary the for-runner preparing the way for the Lord

7. Jesus Second Coming, the Parousia.

Christmas literally begins the 6th age of man! Consider the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: (the 3rd age of man)

Abraham - "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you." (Genesis 12:3) St. Paul writes the Romans 9:4-5, "They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever. Amen."

Isaac - "Abraham fell face down and laughed* as he said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at ninety?" Genesis 17:19

Jacob - "I see him, though not now; I observe him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel, That will crush the brows of Moab," Numbers 24:17

The Patriarchs help us see the linage and channel the Messiah would come. We can see more glimpses that Jesus would be born of a virgin, what tribe He would come and where He would be born.

Isaiah - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman (a Virgin), pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel." Isaiah 7:14 gives a sign that the Messiah would be born of a virgin.

Genesis - Judah is a lion’s cub, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches, lies down like a lion, like a lioness—who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his feet, Until tribute comes to him, and he receives the people’s obedience." Genesis 49:10 tells us what Tribe of the Son's of Israel would the Messiah come. The Tribe of Judah.

Micah - "But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, Then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel." Micah 5:1-2 tells us where the Messiah would be born. At this point we are getting a good picture that there was a Messiah coming, He would be born of a virgin, He would come from the Tribe of Judah, and He would be born in Bethlehem. This information is significant, but there is more:

2 Samuel - "when your days have been completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom. He it is who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever." 2 Samuel 7:12-13 is telling us that the Messiah will come through the House hold of David, that His Kingdom would be eternal.

Daniel - "In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever." Daniel 2:44 is a prophetic look that the Messiah would set up His Kingdom destroying all the world wide kingdoms. Jesus Kingdom will last forever. Psalms 45:7 also says, "Your throne, O God, stands forever; your royal scepter is a scepter for justice."

Notice, this was also stated by the Archangel Gabriel: "He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

John 3:16, probably the most popular verse in the bible says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." The good news is that the Messiah has come which is reason to have great joy. The Messiah has come and His Kingdom will have no end.