Titian's Annunciation

Titian’s Annunciation

The great hour of Mary’s encounter with God’s messenger – in which her whole life is changed – comes to an end, and she remains there alone, with the task that truly surpasses all human capacity. There are no angels standing round her. She must continue along the path that leads through many dark moments – from Joseph’s dismay at her pregnancy to the moment when Jesus is said to be out of his mind, right up to the night of the Cross. ~Pope Benedict XVIJesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives