Fiat – Our Lady of the Annunciation | Strawberries + Acacia Wood
These graceful scents of strawberries and acacia wood are inspired by Our Lady of the Annunciation.
Nuanced with notes of blossoms and hints of exotic spices.
Behind the Inspiration
In Luke 1:26-38, we hear the story of the Annunciation. The archangel Gabriel announces to Mary that she has been chosen to be the mother of the Savior, and with great trust and joy Mary says yes, assenting with her fiat, which is Latin for “Let it be done.” In this moment, the Blessed Virgin Mary becomes also the Blessed Mother.
The strawberry plant symbolizes Mary, because it is uniquely in blossom and in fruit at the same time. The pure white strawberry blossoms point to Mary’s perpetual virginity, and the strawberry fruit points to Jesus, the fruit of her womb.
In becoming the mother of God, Mary has become the new Ark of the Covenant, since she is carrying Our Lord in her very self. As we know from Jewish scripture, the original Ark of the Covenant was the place where God met man and dwelt with him (Exodus 25: 8, 22), and Mary is where God was made man and dwelt with us.
And just as the glory of the Lord descended and “overshadowed” the Old Testament Tabernacle, which holds the Ark of the Covenant, the “power of the Most High” descended and “overshadowed” Mary (Luke 1:35). “Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the ark of the covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2676).
At God’s own direction, the Ark was built completely out of acacia wood, which was prized for its incorruptibility. Significantly, when Pope Pius XII defined the dogma of Mary’s assumption into heaven, he recalled those who “have looked upon the Ark of the Covenant, built of incorruptible wood and placed in the Lord’s temple, as a type of the most pure body of the Virgin Mary, preserved and exempt from all the corruption of the tomb and raised up to such glory in heaven” (Munificentissimus Deus, 26).
There are so many more parallels between the Ark of the Covenant and Mary! For further reading, I recommend Exodus 25, Luke 1, Revelation 11-12, and Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary by Brant Pitre.
The feast of the Annunciation is March 25. (Fun fact: this is exactly nine months before Christmas!)
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of the Annunciation, pray for us.
