The Annunciation Angel

The Annunciation Angel

The Annunciation Angel came to meet me. In mid October (2021) I was visiting a friend’s home and this Annunciation Angel by artist Fra Angelico hangs in her living room.

This angel is bowing to Mary and the angel’s bow immediately evoked a bow in me. I thought to myself, ‘who is this angel who draws me to bow in response?' I went home and googled her, printed out her image, and placed her in my home office. Each day she bowed to me as I entered my room, and I instinctively bowed back; no decision, merely a call and response.

Something was happening …some part of me recognized something in the gesture of this Angel of Annunciation that magnetically called me to bow. This bowing exchange occurred for over a month, ongoing throughout the day, a call and response. I’ve never had this experience before, and I found myself often moved to tears with this bow, a deep deep heart gratitude bubbling up in me. I felt ‘met’ in ways I didn’t understand, but my body knew and recognized, responding effortlessly. In late November I had a conversation with the Abbess of a Spiritual Journey School that I participate in, and I mentioned to her this surprising happening occurring in my life, this Annunciation Angel daily exchanging a bow with me. She broke into a wide smile and shared the following:

"Every January I take a week long retreat and listen for a message, something to pray deeply with for the year. In January 2021 I was given to pray with the passage from Matthew where the angel Gabriel announces to Mary her upcoming pregnancy. The scripture says 'My name is Gabriel, I stand before God'. As I prayed with this scripture I was taken to the image of the Angel of Annunciation. I have been praying with this very angel this entire year. I was invited to personalize the scripture and pray it in this way: 'My name is (her name), I stand before God'."

I was flabbergasted! This very angel that had found me in October, in my friend’s living room, had found my mentor, this Abbess, in January of this year?!!! Wow. And, now I was being given a scripture to pray along with this bow, personalizing it for myself (as we are all invited to pray).

“My name is (my name), I stand before God”.