Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 25, 2026
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.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
There is an ancient Christian tradition that the first Good Friday, the day on which Jesus died, was Friday, March 25. This led to some speculating that the work of re-creation and restoration—the divine project of the Word-made-flesh—must have begun on the same day, and so March 25 became the celebration of the Word’s taking flesh in the womb of the young maiden from Nazareth, Mary.
Mary’s humble fiat, full of grace and thus truly free—“let it be done to me according to your word”—echoes antiphonally the divine Word’s creative power revealed in Genesis: “Let us make man in our image.” God speaks, and it comes to be. That creative Word takes flesh on March 25, and the Solemnity of the Annunciation is a celebration of the beginning of that new creation.
God’s plan in Christ was not merely “damage control,” to fix or repair things: no, his project was restoration through a new creation. And today we can choose to make our own the words of Mary—fiat—let it be so. These words can be our renewed commitment to allowing God to make us a new creation, a work begun in baptism and to be completed only on the Last Day. May it be done unto us according to your Word, O Lord.
Prayer
Almighty and ever-living God, Mary found favor with you, and you chose her to bear your saving promise. She questioned, “How?” and was told nothing is impossible for the power of the Most High. When we are troubled and question amid our doubts or fears, may your grace abound, stirring the hope that moves us, too, to declare “Thy will be done.” We ask this through Jesus, your Word made flesh, who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Tradition has placed the feast of the Annunciation—the moment when Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and conceived Jesus in her womb—exactly nine months before Christmas, on March 25. However, it is sometimes moved so that it does not fall during Holy Week, Easter Week, or on a Sunday.
The story of the Annunciation comes to us from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Six months after the conception of John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel visited Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, but not yet living in his household.
Gabriel greeted Mary by saying, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” She was confused and troubled, and Gabriel explained, saying, “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.”
Gabriel went on to explain that the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and “the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”
Mary’s response to this incredible invitation: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Today’s feast honors the Incarnation by which Jesus takes on our human nature, and it honors Mary for her crucial role in that gracious movement: all of salvation hinges on Mary’s “yes” in this moment. By her “yes” we, also, are destined for divinity. It is her acceptance of God’s call to bear Jesus to the world that gives us the courage and strength to bear Jesus to the world. It is her cooperation with the Word of God that gives our own humanity a share in God’s glory.
Gabriel’s visit to Mary is depicted in the Basilica in both stained glass and in a painted mural, as shown here today.
On this feast of the Annunciation, let us say “yes” with Mary to God’s invitation to bear Jesus to the world!