Said mass with sermon.

We celebrate the visit of the archangel Gabriel to Mary, when Mary accepted God’s call to become the mother of the Lord, dedicating her life to God’s service.

Mary, at that time probably just a young teenager, is visited by the angel who announces that she has been called to bear the child who is to become the salvation of the world, Jesus Christ, the Son of God – the one whose coming has been long prophesied.  Mary responds with humility, using the words which have become known as the Magnificat;

‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.’