“For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. – Luke 1:37-38
In this season of Advent we both remember and look forward to the two comings of Jesus Christ, His First coming in the Incarnation, and His Second coming at the End of time. While we wait expectantly and excitedly for Christmas Day on our calendars, now would be a useful time to remember the events and situations which preceded the Nativity of Our Lord. There is no better place to start than where most of the Gospel writers begin, which is at the Incarnation of Jesus within the womb of Mary, hence the painting I have chosen to reflect on: The Annunciation by Frederick James Shields (1894).
The Annunciation, as an historical event marks the crux of the Old and New Testaments. It is both the fulfillment of what was prefigured in the Old, and the birth of a New Covenant relationship between God and humanity. During Advent, as at the Incarnation, we wait with all Israel with bated breath as we hope to see the coming Messiah. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it. (Mt 13:17) C. S. Lewis illustrates the nature of Israel before the Incarnation well in his essay ‘The Grand Miracle’: “Some are lost in the desert before they reach Palestine; some stay in Babylon; some becoming indifferent. The whole thing narrows and narrows, until at last it comes down to a little point, small as the point of a spear – a Jewish girl at her prayers.”
This is then the scene depicted in Shield’s Annunciation. It is somewhat unique in that it shows the event taking place outside rather than inside a building as is commonly depicted. The scene occurs on a flat rooftop set against an Oriental landscape. The Angel Gabriel draws the eye first with his long, ethereal, figure and shimmering countenance. With one hand he proclaims his message of the Birth of the longed-for Messiah as he blesses Our Lady, and with the other points towards our heavenly homeland. Mary is dressed in an Immaculate white here, as opposed to the traditional blue. Her prostrated pose represents the humility of faithful Israel, who always hoped in the Lord’s promises (Lk 1:45). Her gorgeous flowing veil and dress represents the beauty with which the Lord adorns His bride, the Church, the New Israel (Rv 19:8). At her feet is shown wheat and a small piece of bread, symbolic of the Eucharist, and in the background is shown a low crescent moon, which can be linked to the Lady of Revelation 12:1.
This painting draws to mind the drama created in St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s sermon on the Annunciation, as the whole world, even the entire universe, holds its breath, awaiting Our Lady’s response. “We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us…Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.”
Come, Lord Jesus! (Rv 22:20)
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