The image that adorns our cover this month is a detail from Natalya Rusetka’s Annunciation icon (iconart-gallery.com/en/artists/natalya-rusetska). The full icon was made on a round wooden board and is relatively small, just under twelve inches in diameter. The Annunciation event is depicted at the center of the image, with the town of Nazareth visible just off to the right. The Archangel Gabriel meets the Blessed Virgin beside a well or spring likely intended to be what is known as Mary’s Well. According to Christian tradition, it is a site in Nazareth where Mary would have gone daily to draw water. 

The angel presents Mary with a lily, a symbol of her purity. Notably, the lily is also associated with rebirth and resurrection, embuing the gift with a double meaning, both honoring Mary’s virginity and welcoming the son who will become the Resurrected One. The white spots on the head and shoulders of her cloak represent stars, which have been interpreted across the centuries as representing her virginity before, during, and after giving birth. For her part, Mary raises a hand to her breast in a look of surprise and wonder at the angel’s announcement. 

As the Holy Spirit hovers just above the heads of the two central figures in the tableau, surrounded by gold and shining rays of divine light upon the scene, we are left to close our eyes and imagine this miraculous meeting between the angel and the Mother of God.  

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.