"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus." Luke 1:26-31 KJV

<p>Illustration of the Virgin Mary praying at an altar in her room as the archangel Gabriel approaches her to tell her she will give birth to Jesus. Gabriel is knelt on a cloud, his left arm raised. He is holding an olive branch. Above Mary's head, a dove is flying out of a cloud and a shaft of light glows down on Mary's head. A vase with lilies in it sits on the floor.

The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel Approaches Mary while She is Praying

"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,…

Lilies are herbaceous flowering plants normally grown from bulbs. They are large showy flowering garden plants.

Lilies

Lilies are herbaceous flowering plants normally grown from bulbs. They are large showy flowering garden…

border of lilies of the field.

Lily

border of lilies of the field.

A header of lilies.

Lily Header

A header of lilies.

This illustration shows the shortened types of stems: A, corm of jack-in-the-pulpit. At left surface view showing lateral buds, roots and sheathing leaf arising from top of shortened stem. At right sectional view with folded leaf, l, in bud at apex stem. B, bulb type of shortened stems. At left bulb of onion showing the ensheathing leaves which are swollen at their bases with food, thus forming the bulb. At right, section of a bulb of hyacinth showing the fleshy leaves attached to the very short stem and in the center of the bulb a flower cluster.

Onion

This illustration shows the shortened types of stems: A, corm of jack-in-the-pulpit. At left surface…

"The Water Lily is an exogenous aquatic plant including eight genera, and all possessing submerged root stocks. They are found in all temperate climates, and attain great size in the tropics. The white water lily is the familiar flower of ponds and placid streams throughout North America, its large and chaste flowers claiming precedence for beauty among the indigenous flora."&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

White Water Lily

"The Water Lily is an exogenous aquatic plant including eight genera, and all possessing submerged root…