Eustache Le Sueur, "The Annunciation," c. 1650
From today's traditional Mass:
"O God, Who from among all the Angels didst choose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the Mystery of Thine Incarnation: mercifully grant that we who keep his feast on earth may feel the effect of his patronage in Heaven...
We who have partaken of the Mysteries of Thy Body and Blood, O Lord our God, implore Thy pity: that as by the message of Gabriel we have known Thine Incarnation, so, by his help we may obtain the benefits of the same."
The words of Saint Gabriel himself:
"Hail, full of grace: the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women....Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God: behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His Name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father: and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end....The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God."
From Litany of Saint Gabriel:
"O blessed Archangel Gabriel, we beseech thee, intercede for us at the throne of Divine Mercy in our present necessities, that as thou didst announce to Mary the Mystery of the Incarnation, so through thy prayers and patronage in Heaven we may obtain the benefits of the same, and sing the praise of God forever in the land of the living. Amen."
As beautiful and glorious as the Archangel Gabriel is, he, like all the holy, is merely a reflection of the beauty and brightness of the Most Holy Trinity. Just like the Moon reflects the Sun....we mere creatures reflect the glory of God. The feast of Saint Gabriel appropriately is followed tomorrow by the feast of the Annunciation (in both the old and new calendars)....Hail, full of grace!....a joyful mid-Lenten feast, bringing to mind the Cycle of Christmas in the midst of our Cycle of Easter this year, reminding us of the beginnings of these great happenings 2,000 years ago.
Image courtesy https://www.etsy.com/listing/207823219/saint-gabriel-archangel-the-annunciation