Liturgical Living: Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

During the year that I was pregnant with my first child, I committed during that Lent to attend daily Mass as often as I could. It was a very fruitful experience for me.

I enjoyed receiving Communion more than just on Sundays and learning more about the scripture through the daily readings. One of my favorite memories from that Lent was when I received a special pregnancy blessing at daily Mass on March 25: The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. 

The Annunciation 

The Annunciation celebrates when the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and brought the news that God had chosen her to be the mother of His only son, Jesus. The Annunciation is in the Gospel of Saint Luke, Luke 1: 26-38.

In these verses, we learn the details of the Incarnation, God's choosing to become man, and how Jesus will accept His life and death of suffering out of love for us. Mary’s response to God’s proposal is another important detail of the Annunciation.

The Angel Gabriel comforts Mary about the events that will take place. He even says that she has found favor with God (Luke 1:30). Mary’s response to God was, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). This response of “let it be done” is translated in Latin to fiat. Mary’s fiat was complete acceptance of God’s will for her life.

She freely chooses to do the will of God without any reservation. Her beautiful example teaches us how to respond when God calls on us to do His will.  

Baby on the Way 

When we teach our children about the Annunciation, right now, when they are young, we focus on how Mary said yes to giving birth to baby Jesus. As they get older we will talk about God’s will for their lives and how important it is to try and follow God’s will.

But for now, we focus on how Mary said yes to being the mother of Jesus. We use this day as an opportunity to say special prayers for the women we know who are expecting and make charitable donations to pregnancy organizations that are local to our area.

You could do something as simple as donating diapers to new mothers in need. We want to teach our kids the importance of serving others and this feast day can be a great for an almsgiving activity during Lent as well. 

Our Lady’s Day vs. Waffle Day 

The food we make to celebrate the Annunciation with comes from a mix-up in language that occurred in Sweden. The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is also commonly called “Our Lady’s Day”.

In Swedish, the word, Vårfrudagen, means “Our Lady’s Day” and the word, våffeldagen, means “waffle day”. When these two words are spoken quickly they sound very similar and over time, Swedes started to call the Annunciation, waffle day instead.  Now in Sweden, Norway, and Denmak, March 25 is celebrated by making waffles. 

Breakfast for Dinner  

We decided to jump on the waffle day/Annunciation bandwagon when we were first choosing feast days to celebrate with food. Waffles hold a special place in my heart, because my mom used to always make them for Christmas morning.

I like that we have established a new tradition and still make them on a day dedicated to Mary and Jesus. It is also really easy to convince my kids to have breakfast for dinner, or brinner, as we call it at our house.

Whether you prepare Eggos or use a Bisquick box mix it is totally up to you what kind of waffles you prepare. 

Our family likes to make a recipe we found on Serious Eats years ago, but has since been taken off their website. This simple but tasty recipe is easy and does not require a ton of special ingredients.

If you are looking to try a new waffle recipe, here is the one we use: 

Ingredients: 

• 1 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• ¼ Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 ¾ cups Milk
• ½ cup Canola Oil
• 2 Egg Whites

Steps:

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. Add egg yolks, then milk and oil into the well and mix everything together. Your batter may be lumpy, just try to get all of the dry ingredients incorporated. 

In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight up). Gently fold egg whites into your medium bowl mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. Try not to overmix because the egg whites give the waffles a light, fluffy texture. 

Spoon waffle batter into your preheated waffle iron, making sure not to overfill it.

Once they are cooked, serve the waffles warm with the toppings of your choice. Our favorites are a good maple syrup, homemade whipped cream, and blueberries, because we associate blue as a color for Mary. 

Opportunities for Prayer

The Annunciation is the first mystery in the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. This year the Annunciation falls on a Saturday, one of the traditional days to pray the Joyful Mysteries (along with Monday). You could choose to pray just this decade with your family or the entire Rosary.

A different prayer option is to pray the Angelus. Traditionally the Angelus is recited three times a day, usually 9AM, Noon, and 6PM. We set an alarm for Noon and pray this prayer together as a family: 

I hope your family enjoys celebrating the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord and that it becomes a favorite feast day, just like it is in our home. Mother Mary, pray for us!