Benedictine Annunciation - Werburg Welch

I came across a piece of sacred art that I'd never seen before today!  This is the Annunciation as depicted by a contemporary Benedictine nun named D. Werburg Welch.  I found it while scrolling through Twitter and immediately stopped in my tracks.  It's not often I get to see an Annunciation image that includes an homage to the Incarnation (which happened the same day, everyone!).  

I *love* images of the Annunciation that depict Angel Gabriel worshipping the Hidden Incarnate Christ within the womb of Our Lady.  It captures the moment immediately after Our Lady's "Fiat," and highlights the Divine reality of the Eternal God entering time and space.  

​Swoon with me, everyone.  Swoon with me.

Our Lady is in white, symbolizing her purity. Gabriel is in yellow, denoting the fertility and Divine Light which he bears. In his hand, he holds a flowering lily, but note that only the bottom two (for the Father and Holy Spirit) are fully bloomed. Jesus' flower, at the top, is only just budding, symbolizing His hidden Divinity now ensconced within Our Lady's womb.

Behind Our Lady is a red curtain which hints at the veil hanging in the Temple - the same veil that would eventually rip after the Death of Christ on the Cross. The Temple veil was the physical barrier between Heaven & Earth, and in the image, is pulled back to one side to denote that there is no longer a barrier between Heaven and Earth now that the Divine, Himself, took refuge here.

It is clearly night outside, with all the Earth swallowed in darkness and desolation. But Gabriel brings light, & through Our Lady, the Light of Christ emanates, shining out into the World.

Even the square framing of Our Lady's home is important. Her foot stands visible inside the home, but a tiny cutout enables her other foot to traverse the outside realm- Heaven. She connects both with her Fiat. She bows not as Queen of the Angels, but in a gesture of humility and acceptance of God's Divine Plan for salvation.

Mary, now the Blessed Mother, is kneeling with her head bowed. Gabriel is almost groveling in worship not of Mary, but of the Eternal Now incarnate within her. His orange wings, a mark of God's Divine fire, also straddle the two domains. God's Divinity is seen as both protective (the wing behind her) and guiding (the other almost moving her forward toward what is to come).

Thus, Our Lady's humanity and God's Divinity are brought together here, hidden in the Person of Christ who is, Himself, hidden within the womb of Our Lady.  We only know that He is there by the visible response of Our Lady and Angel Gabriel. 

Gabriel's right hand is raised, almost as if to say "I am unworthy, come no closer." Only the light of his halo touches the robe of Our Lady. In other words, only God (from which all Light comes) is worthy to approach the living Tabernacle of His Son.

Gah... I just love everything about this.

Happy Annunciation Day, everyone!