We interrupt the Friday Fast series for the Feast of the Annunciation, the story itself of a glorious interruption …
Annunciation
What strange boldness to announce the Word
to his astonished Mother; Auden had it right,
the falling star blitzing its way into consciousness.
The angel, patient as only the immortal may be,
orates, words about the Word, imperturbably,
as though language, the cacophony of consonants
and vowels, clanging syllables could contain
the sheer affrontery of God’s obliterating mercy.
W.H. Auden, The Temptation of Joseph, from For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio
Image: The Annunciation, Stefano di Giovanni, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0
over the water 