The mystery of man's reconciliation with God

Today, March 25, as our Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation we are first invited to read and reflect on a passage from the first book of Chronicles (17:1-15) entitled "A prophecy about the Son of David." Our treasure, which follows, is from a letter by Saint Leo the Great, Pope. The Solemnity of the Annunciation commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Feast of the Annunciation is observed almost universally throughout Christianity, especially within the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. It is a major Marian feast, classified as a solemnity in the Catholic Church because it announces the incarnation of Christ, it is counted as one of the eight great feasts of the Lord. The importance attached to the Annunciation, especially in the Catholic Church, are the Angelus and the Hail Mary prayers, the event's position as the first Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the Novena for the Feast of the Annunciation, and the numerous depictions of the Annunciation in Christian art. Saint Leo became pope in the year 440. Saint Leo was a Roman aristocrat, and was the first pope to have been called "the Great". Saint Leo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His work branched into many areas of the church, indicative of his notion of the pope's total responsibility for the flock of Christ. In the 96 sermons which have come down to us, we find Leo stressing the virtues of almsgiving, fasting, and prayer, and expounding Catholic doctrine with clarity and conciseness, particularly the dogma of the Incarnation. Leo is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 and having persuaded him to turn back from his invasion of Italy. Saint Leo the Great's primary contribution to the teachings of the Catholic Church was his clear articulation of the two natures of Christ—fully divine and fully human—united in one person. In his famous Tome of Leo, he explained that Jesus Christ possesses both natures without confusion or division, a teaching that was affirmed by the bishops at the Council of Chalcedon and became a cornerstone of Catholic Christology. Leo also strengthened the understanding of the authority of the Bishop of Rome as successor of Saint Peter the Apostle, helping shape the doctrine of the papacy while safeguarding the Church's teaching about who Christ truly is. The Books of Chronicles record in some detail the lengthy span (some five hundred fifty years) from the death of King Saul to the return from the exile. Unlike today's history writing, wherein factual accuracy and impartiality of judgment are the norm, biblical history, with rare exceptions, was less concerned with reporting in precise detail all the facts of a situation than with drawing out the meaning of those facts. Biblical history was thus primarily interpretative, and its purpose was to disclose the action of the living God in human affairs. For this reason, we speak of it as "sacred history." The primary message of the Books of Chronicles is that faithfulness to God—especially through right worship, obedience, and reliance on Him—brings blessing and restoration, while unfaithfulness leads to decline. Written with a focus on the temple, the priesthood, and the line of David, the book reassures God's people after exile that He remains faithful to His covenant and is always ready to restore those who return to Him with sincere hearts.