There is Something Christologically and Soteriologically Special about Mary: Having Had the Feast of the Annunciation and Good Friday on the Same Day !

Without Mary accepting the impregnating the Holy Spirit as God’salvific will, there would not have been the Nativity of the Lord, no Word becoming flesh. Without the Nativity of the Lord as the incarnated Word, there would not have been the Passion and Death of the Lord. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen has said, without Good Friday, no Easter.  Therefore, without Mary’s “Yes” to the content of the Annunciation, in spite of her fear, there would not have been paschal mystery, including the Resurrection.

There is something very special about this year’s Good Friday. It is that Good Friday was also the Feast of Annunciation, March 25, in the year of 2016. How often would this happen, indeed?!

Is this a mere coincidence? Some may say so – but, theologicallym, in particular, Christologically and soteriologically, it is not a coincidence.  I believe that Buddhists would also agree that it is not a coincidence, based on the doctrine of pratitya-samutpada (緣起), which is understood as interdependent arising and causes.  The Buddhist concept of pratitya-samutpada makes sense to the Christian view, as well, for we can consider this as some sort of God’s intention, as a mutually interdependent arising to put the Feast of the Annunciation and the Good Friday on the same day this year to call our attention to something theologically important.

Then, what is the theological significance that relates Good Friday to the Annunciation?

In fact, reflecting and pondering upon this question will usher us to the realization that it is not just about the Annunciation and the Resurrection but something Christologically very important about Mary. Yes, there is something about Mary in deepening our understanding of Christ and salvation – our appreciation of paschal mystery.

John’s Gospel tells that there was the Logos (Word) in the beginning (John 1:1).  In juxtaposition to the Book of Genesis, the Logos may correspond to Ruah, which was blowing over the waters, in the beginning of the Creation (Genesis 1:2) , as in the very first reading for Easter Vigil Mass. John says that the Word was made flesh (John 1:14), meaning that the Word was incarnated, because God loves the word, us, so much (John 3:16). It means that God sent the Christ for our salvation, in spite of our deuteronomical cycle of sins. For this, Matthew’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel describe, God sent the Holy Spirit to Mary (Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:35), as announced by Angel Gabriel. Therefore, the Feast of the Annunciation reminds us that Mary was the God-chosen immaculate human medium for the Holy Spirit to bring the Son to this world, incarnating the Logos. It is an announcement of God’s new creation for salvation.

Mary being full of grace, being immaculate, the fruit of her womb, the Son, Jesus, was born on Christmas, to bring not just glad tidings to the poor (Isaiah 61:1) and comfort to those who mourn (Isaiah 61:2) (Luke 4:14-21), but to suffer and die in order to satisfy God’s salvific will as the ultimate asham (Isaiah 52-53, as Isaiah 52:13-53:12 read for Good Friday First Reading), accomplished through the Crucifixion.  In this regard, the Annunciation is not only to announce the birth of the Savior as fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 for Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:14-21, but for Isaiah 52-53 to be fulfilled.  Unbeknownst to her, this was also the announcement of Mary’s suffering of sorrows,  because the self-sacrifice was required of her son to satisfy God’s will for salvation and resurrection (i.e. Isaiah 53:10-12), as later Simeon prophesized at the presentation of baby Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:34-35).

As John’s Gospel describes, Mary was with her Son, Jesus, at the foot of the Cross, bearing her sorrows to watch her son suffer and die.  In the presence of her at the foot of the Cross, Jesus indicated that Mary is not just the mother to him but to his disciples, as represented by John, who was also at the foot of the Cross with her (John 19:26-27).

The Scriptures remind us that Mary was present at the Annunciation to bring Jesus to the world and at time of the Crucifixion to watch the Son die, in fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 52-53.  As his mother, Mary had been fully present in Jesus’ earthly life from its conception in her womb all the way to his death on the Cross, perhaps, except some of his young adult years before his baptism and public ministry.

Imagine if Mary had not said, “Yes”, to God’s will to be impregnated to bear and to bring the Son of God.  There would not have been Christmas. There would not have been the Messiah as we know. Consequently, there would not have been Good Friday and Easter, as the Isaiah’s prophecy on the suffering Messiah and its relevant Old Testament prophecies would not have been fulfilled.

Imagine if Mary was absent at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was dying, simply because she could not bear her psychospiritual pain, which Simeon had prophesized when Jesus was about 40-day old.  Then, imagine how Jesus would have felt not to see his mother when he died.  Mary would not have been the mother of the disciples, now, us, the faithful, either.

In other words, if Mary had said “no” to God at the Annunciation, then, there would not have been our salvation through Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter.

Fortunately, in response to the Annunciation, Mary said, “Yes”, to God’s will, though she was frightened and did not understand.  Good Friday reminds that Mary’s “Yes” in response to the Annunciation resulted in the Crucifixion of the Son, in juxtaposition to Jesus’ “Yes” to the will of the Father, whom he called “Abba”, during the hour of agony, on the night before his death (Matthew 26:36-46//Mark 14:32-42//Luke 22:39-46).  Therefore, our salvation, as the fulfillment of Isaiah 52-53, began with Mary’s “Yes” in response to the Annunciation and completed as a result of Jesus’ “Yes” to the will of his “Abba”.

Having had both the Feast of the Annunciation and the Good Friday on the same day this year, it is important that we, once again, reflect on Christological and soteriological significance of both Mary’s “Yes” and Jesus’ “Yes” to the will of God, in light of paschal mystery.  It is also important to remember that Mary was fully present to the will of God, when Jesus’ earthly life began with his conception in her womb, upon the Annunciation, and fully present when his earthly life ended up on the Cross, as she was at the foot of the Cross.  After all, she is the mother of Jesus. Mary, indeed, the Theotokos, who has faithfully served God to bring the Messiah as the incarnated Logos, so that God’s grand salvific scheme has been completed, as prophesized in Isaiah and other relevant Old Testament narratives.  Just before this prophetic  fulfilment of salvation, Jesus called his mother and also dedicated her as our mother. Therefore, Mary is essential to Christology and soteriology from an anthropocentric angle.

Now, Christ has been risen, as we rejoice in the Eastertide, as he has overcome sin and death on our behalf (i.e. 1 Corinthians 15: 55-57, Hosea 13;14).

Given Mary’s special Christological significance, as I have reflected in regard to the Feast of the Annunciation and Good Friday being on the same day this year, it makes sense to believe that the risen Jesus first appeared to Mary, the Theotokos, rather than Mary Magdalene.  Some Gospel narratives, John 20:14-16 and Mark 16:9, indicate that the risen Lord first appeared to Mary Magdalene. However, there is a possibility that he had appeared to his mother, Mary, before anyone else, including Mary Magdalene.

Remember, John indicates that there are much more about Christ than what has been written in the Gospels (i.e. John 21:25). Therefore, the absence of explicit description in the canonical Gospels does not necessarily nullify a possibility of Jesus first appearing to Mary – before appearing to Mary Magdalene.

In fact, unlike Mary Magdalene who tends to react impulsively and panicky , Mary the mother of Jesus is a woman who tends to respond to mysterious phenomenon contemplatively, as known from the way she responded to the nativity of the Lord (I.e. Luke 2: 13-19). This makes it possible that Mary did not necessarily tell everyone about seeing the risen son of hers. Rather, it is likely that she was contemplating on the Resurrection of her son, just as did so in response to his birth. The Resurrection of Jesus is a new birth – as the fruit of Mary’s womb is now becoming the firstfruit from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). Mary always respond to a birth with her contemplation.  For some reasons, this could have been omitted by the evangelists in their Gospels or somehow, edited out later.

Nevertheless, because this undeniable possibility of Mary to be the very first one to encounter the risen Lord,  the Filipino Catholic tradition of Easter morning, “Salubong”, is a great way to illustrate Mary’s perpetual presence in the life of Jesus beyond his death and into his resurrected life.  “Salubong” is a procession, reflecting that Mary and the risen Jesus are coming to meet. “Salubong”, in Tagalog, means “welcoming” and “meeting”. So, it is like the risen Jesus, as the firstfruit from the dead, is meeting his mother, being welcomed – perhaps, as he, as the fruit of her womb, first met her when he was born.

If you are familiar with the Filipino Easter morning tradition of “Salubong”, I invite you to ponder upon Mary’s Christological and soteriological importance in putting the Annunciation (the First Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary) and the Crucifixion (the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery of the Holy Rosary) together, in conjunction with St. Pope John Paul II’s address to the general audience on May 21, 1997, as well as nos. 218-224 of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Then, as St. John Paul II, said in this address, you will appreciate Mary’s presence and witness to the entire paschal mystery.  In his address to the general audience on April 3, 1996, St. John Paul II said that Mary alone remains to keep alive the flame of faith preparing to receive the joyful and astonishing announcement of the Resurrection.

Yes, there is something so special about Mary for us to appreciate Christ and his paschal mystery, which is essential to salvation.  There was Mary at the time of the annunciation of the incarnation of the Logos and the annunciation of the Resurrection.

What the risen Lord first announced to Mary, the Theotokos, is in the First Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary, and the Glorious Mystery concludes with the Crowning of Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Earth, following her Assumption.

Yes, there is, indeed, something about Mary, and how can we understand Jesus – Christology and Soteriology without Mary? How can we fully rejoice in the Resurrection without Mary, who is also our mother?

Mary’s Christological and soteriological significance – persistent presence to paschal mystery is a pratitya-samutpada behind the Feast of the Annunciation and the Good Friday to be on the same day this year to give us special appreciation and joy of the Eastertide for this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

During this Eastertide, upon having had the Feast of the Annunciation and Good Friday on the same day, perhaps, we can be more like Mary, being a persistent primary other (what John Bowlby may regard as the primary attachment object, in his application of the object relations theory), to the life of Jesus, from the conception (the Annunciation) to the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and beyond, as reflected in the aforementioned portion of the Spiritual Exercises.   For this, it is worth reflecting these words of Mary, as the effect of the Annunciation sinks into her heart, as we let the effect of the Resurrection steep into our heart, because the announcement of the Resurrection is like a new Annunciation to us.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.  Mary’s “Magnificat” canticle – Luke 1:46-55

As Mary has said, it is God’s mercy (chesed – favor, eleos) that brought the Annunciation to Mary, impregnating her, for the Logos to be incarnated, in order to save us. It was God’s mercy to let the son of Mary, the Messiah, to suffer and die, to satisfy this God’s salvific plan, as prophesized in Isaiah 53. This salvific scheme completion with the death of Christ is followed by his Resurrection, to prepare us for the empowerment of the Pentecostal Holy Spirit, to complete the Easter effects on us.

Let us contemplate on God’s mercy as we are ready to celebrate the Divine Mercy Sunday, following the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection now.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  1 Peter 1: 3-7