To resume the solar eclipse and its relation to the Feast of the Annunciation: as far as I understand it, the celestial phenomenon we witnessed on April 8, 20241 is a mirror of the spiritual, theological reality the Church celebrated on this day2. Just as the moon aligned itself with the sun, so did the Virgin Mary align her will to that of the Creator3. The moon does not shine by its own efforts, rather she reflects the light of the sun4; in a similar manner, the Virgin Mary does not shine by her own light, but rather by the light of the Son5. The most beautiful moment of the eclipse was achieved - in my opinion - at the moment of the complete union of sun and moon, with that glorious ring of light that encircled it; so it was with Our Lady's fiat. Because of her total submission to the will of God, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary6. Furthermore, this spiritual wedding foreshadows the union of God with His Church7 that will occur at the end of time, but which believers can begin to live out even now8 through their own personal fiat9. Finally, just as Mary gave way to the first coming of Jesus10, so does she prepare the way for Christ's Second Coming11. The signs12 which we observed13 on this day call us to reflect on God's glory expressed in the natural14; but they should awaken our curiosity for the supernatural things to come.15
By Edgar Avendano @latinofilmmaker
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1 https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/
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2 https://aleteia.org/2024/04/07/why-the-annunciation-was-moved-to-april-8-this-year/
3 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)
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4 https://www.livescience.com/45979-why-does-the-moon-shine.html
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5 “God who made the sun, also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the Mother of men” (Venerable Fulton Sheen, The World’s First Love: Mary, Mother of God, pp. 50).
6 And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)
7 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son.” (Matthew 22:1-11; The Parable of the Wedding Banquet)
8 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15)
9 Because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
10 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. (Luke 1:31)
11 And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. (Revelation 12:1-2)
12 And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. (Joel 2:29– 31)
13 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, see, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. (Revelation 6:12).
14 Psalm 8
15 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2)