Wednesday, March 25, will be the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the moment when the Archangel Gabriel “announces” or informs the Blessed Virgin Mary that she has been selected by God to become the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Among the many important passages in our Sacred Scriptures, it is most certainly one of the most preeminent. There is not much more paramount than this depiction of when the offer of salvation was “on the line,” awaiting the response of a mere young maiden.
Because of the significance and dramatic nature of this biblical scene, there have been many artists who set it to canvas in some remarkable paintings — legendary figures like da Vinci, Caravaggio, Titian and Jan van Eyck. But I once read an article in the Catholic Digest written by an author named Geoffrey LaForce titled, “The Best of the Annunciation Paintings.” In the article, he claims — after a lengthy study of the Annunciation paintings — that the finest artistic interpretation of this sacred event is the “Cestello Annunciation” created by Sandro Botticelli.
Now, before I begin to share with you the insights of LaForce, you may want to fire up your smartphone, iPad or desktop computer and use your search engine to find an image of the painting. So, go ahead, type the following: “Cestello Annunciation” by Botticelli.
The “Cestello Annunciation” was painted by Botticelli sometime between the years of 1489-1490 as an altar piece in a monastery chapel, and it now resides in a museum in the city of Florence, Italy.
There are a number of features of the “Cestello Annunciation” that are shared by many other paintings of the Annunciation:
• The heads of both the Archangel Gabriel and the Blessed Virgin Mary are adorned by halos, a sign of their holiness and the favor of God.

• The Archangel Gabriel is holding and likely preparing to present to the Blessed Virgin Mary a stem of lilies, which is a symbol of purity.

• Mary is dressed in a scarlet robe and a blue cloak, which represents royal status and also the traits of love and devotion.

• It appears that Mary was reading at the time the Archangel Gabriel appeared, since she is situated near a book stand. Most commentators suggest that she was reading the Sacred Scriptures, some even going so far as to speculate that she is meditating on a passage from the Book of Isaiah, where he proclaims a prophecy regarding a virgin birth, chapter 7, verse 14, “… the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”

• The background of the painting features a portico with a view of a garden, which is a common item in a number of Renaissance paintings of the Annunciation. The garden is meant to be a symbol of Eden in the Book of Genesis, which serves as a comparison of Mary with the figure of Eve. The faithfulness of the Blessed Virgin serves to contrast with the lack of fidelity of Eve, which forfeited the idyllic paradise that God originally created.
And, while the author Geoffrey LaForce lauds these features that highlight the “Cestello Annunciation,” he reserves his greatest praise for the manner in which the artist Botticelli uses posture and gesture to convey the deep emotions of the Archangel Gabriel and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which reveal the most profound elements of the Annunciation:
• For example, Gabriel is depicted as kneeling before Mary, serving to emphasize the importance of the announcement being made — as well as to point to the honor which is accorded to her, “hailing” her and acknowledging her as being “full of grace.”

• Some commentators note how Botticelli’s fashioning of the wings of Gabriel seem to convey motion or movement. It is said that this motion or movement might simply illustrate that the archangel has just completed his arrival by flight into this scene. However, some contend that even more is meant — that the motion or movement is not reflective of flight but is a sign of the nervous tension that Gabriel feels, pondering apprehensively as to whether the young maiden, Mary, will be able to accept the magnitude of the invitation that will be announced.

• Mary, too, conveys a depth of feeling through the gestures and postures she has assumed. It is clear that the unexpected arrival of the archangel and the audacity of the proclamation and the divine invitation that have been announced have caused her to lose some equilibrium. Her body almost is contorted or somewhat twisted to denote a sense of being affected by daring surprise and anxiousness, perhaps even leading her to feel almost “troubled.”

• Yet, you will note Mary lowering her head — symbolic of the virtue of humility — and also reflective of prayer and the presence of filial piety.

• Note as well how Mary’s humble lowering of her head also enables her to view the outstretched arm of the Archangel Gabriel — the angel seeking to reach out to offer the grace of reassurance, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

• The posture and gesture of Mary’s arms then respond in a climactic manner. While her left arm draws back, almost indicating a struggle to cope with the daunting nature of the Annunciation, she extends her right arm toward the archangel, demonstrating her openness and desire to accept the will of God, her faithful “fiat,” or “yes,” overcoming her reticence.

• Ultimately, then, the painting centers on Gabriel’s and Mary’s hands reaching out to each other, symbolizing the convergence between Annunciation and acceptance.

What a blessing it is to view the grace of Botticelli’s artistic masterpiece to illuminate the Annunciation of the Lord. It brings to mind the caption that the artist affixed beneath the painting in its frame. It is the verse of Luke 1:35 in Latin, which translated means, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest will overshadow thee.”
And, yet, I think the time we spend meditating on the “Cestello Annunciation” also can speak wisely about where most of us sit in relation to the context of our contemporary world. My sense is that many of us can find ourselves feeling much like the Blessed Virgin Mary in the “Cestello Annunciation” — caught between a divine invitation and anxiousness. For, on the one hand, we experience an annunciation, the Annunciation of the Incarnation. Before us is the promising birth of our Savior Jesus Christ — not just years ago — but born anew in our hearts and our lives, here and now. Yet, at the same time, we live in daunting and troublesome times — times of polarization, falsehoods, violence, war, meanness and economic challenge. Like Mary in the “Cestello Annunciation,” it is hard to find equilibrium. It seems hard to find the balance that might bring us the “peace on earth” of which the Christmas angels sing and promise.
Yet, our Mother Mary can show us the way. In the “Cestello Annunciation,” in humility, faith and prayer, she extends her eyes and her arm toward the arm of the Lord reaching out through the angel, offering us the grace of reassurance, “Do not be afraid.” If we strive to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we need only speak our “fiat,” or “yes,” to the will of God. And in that convergence between Annunciation and acceptance, we, too, will find “The Holy Spirit come upon [us] and the power of the Most High will overshadow [us].” And Christ will be born in us, the newborn Prince of Peace.