The Feast of the Annunciation is a great time to pray for all children conceived this year.
On March 25th the Catholic Church will celebrate the feast of the Annunciation and honor Mary’s great fiat – her great yes to God’s invitation to become the mother of our Savior. This is cause for great rejoicing. And yet, this feast day, which is often overshadowed by the season of Lent, is rarely elevated with jubilation in our parishes.
Sadly, the news of some pregnancies today is also not cause for immediate rejoicing and celebration. Here, I refer to couples who sit on their “good news” because of a fear that they may miscarry. This fear may be well founded. Nearly 50% of all pregnancies are lost according to an article in the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology. In most cases, the loss happens so early after conception that the mother may not have even known that she was pregnant. But, one fourth to one fifth of clinically diagnosed pregnancies are lost. Statistically, 10% of confirmed pregnancies are lost when the mother is 30 years of age and around 40% are lost by age 40. In addition, 5% of pregnancy losses are called recurrent which means that the mother has lost 2 or more children consecutively in the first trimester.
The causes for miscarriage are varied. Over half of first trimester losses are due to a chromosome anomaly that will likely not be repeated. In other cases, the loss is the result of a immunologic, lifestyle choice or infection. No matter the cause, the loss is usually devastating and painful.
Life in the womb is becoming more and more tenuous. Let us be mindful of the complex nature of pregnancy and the need to commend all unborn children to the protection and care of the Holy Trinity. Perhaps we can begin our mindfulness by wholeheartedly celebrating the feast of the Annunciation on March 25th. As we do so, let us pray for all couples who will conceive this year, asking God to provide them with healthy and safe pregnancies that bring forth our next generation.