Celebrating Anonymous Annunciations 

When Mary “conceived by the Holy Spirit,” she became by anticipation the mother of all who would become the body of Christ her Son by being “born of water and Spirit” (John 3:5). God has never stopped inviting people to “present their bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:2) so that Jesus might be “conceived by the Holy Spirit” in them as his Body spread throughout the whole world. We celebrate this at Mass, saying to the Father, “You never stop gathering a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting, a perfect sacrifice may be offered to your name” (Eucharistic Prayer III). 

So, “in the communion of the Holy Spirit,” we celebrate together at Eucharist with all who have been invited to the “wedding banquet of the Lamb,” whether through the sacramental initiation of Baptism or through the multitudinous anonymous annunciations of baptism by desire. We accept as our brothers and sisters all who, “in Christ,” and “in the unity of the Holy Spirit,”—consciously or not—have God as their Father and Mary as their mother. 

And we do not ask others to accept us as the Body of Christ on earth just because we can wave our baptismal certificate at them. We strive to make the “aroma of Christ” discernible in us through the manifestation of the “Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit” made visible in our life and lifestyle. 

ACTION: Read 2Corinthians 2:15, Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22.  

PRAYER: Lord, let your Spirit show in me. 

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings on the USCCB website here

Easter season is the time to focus on the Holy Spirit. Starting on Easter Sunday, we will look carefully at how the Spirit is proclaimed, invoked, and presented to us in the Mass. Lex orandi, lex credendi: “As the Church prays, so she believes.”

After that, we will reflect on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22), and at how the Spirit enters the life of those who believe.

As you read these reflections, ask for the gift of Understanding. Ask to really understand what you believe, what you see and hear at Mass. Go deeper into understanding the Mass than you ever have before. We experience the Faith when we become aware of its mystery. We hope you reflect deeply on the Mass and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and find yourself more and more drawn into the mysteries of our Lord in the Mass and in His Gifts.