J.M.J. The life-changing
encounter between the angel Gabriel and Our Lady, which is recorded in the
Gospel according to Saint Luke (1:26-38) and is especially remembered on March
25—the Solemnity of the Annunciation, was the shortest job interview in
history. When Mary was informed that her unexpected maternity would not alter
what many scholars have understood to be her previous pledge to God that she
would remain a virgin, she quickly consented to the divine proposition that she
would become the Mother of the “Son of the Most High” (verse 32). Our Lady’s
singular mission as the Mother of God had begun!
No matter how often
this Lucan passage is read, one verse that troubles numerous readers is that
which says that the Virgin, yes, was “troubled” (verse 29).
The Revised
Standard Version Catholic Edition (1966) offers: “But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in
her mind what sort of greeting this might be.”
The
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Edition (1941) states: “When she had seen
him she was troubled at his word, and kept pondering what manner of greeting
this might be.”
The Douay-Rhiems (1899) American Edition declares: “Who having heard,
was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation
this should be.”
It seems shocking that the Maiden of Nazareth, who only twelve or
fourteen years before was conceived without Original Sin, would now fall prey
to this inner lack of tranquility. After all, her Immaculate Conception and
corresponding fullness of grace meant that she never was at enmity with the
Creator. Not for a moment did she choose against Him. Her charity was perfect,
her confidence in the Almighty unshakeable.
Regarding “troubled,” Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., in
his classic Divine Intimacy: Meditations on the Interior Life for Every
Day of the Liturgical Year
(Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1996), provides us with
some appreciated assistance: “we must not, however, take this phrase to mean
real disturbance, which destroys the peace of the spirit; it means rather a
profound astonishment at this unusual greeting, an astonishment so great as to
cause a kind of fear. This is Mary’s first reaction to the angelical message, a
reaction arising from her deep humility, which makes her think this
extraordinary eulogy very strange” (page 1133).
Humilitas, sì; perturbatio, no.
Our Lady’s interior peace was not shattered when she heard Gabriel call
her “full of grace” (verse 28).
Noting Mary’s unbreakable peace
reminds us of the four “rules” for peace of soul advocated by Saint Leonard of
Port Maurice (1676-1751), a Franciscan friar known for his preaching in defense
of the Immaculate Conception.
1. To be attached only to God.
2. To surrender to Divine Providence.
3. To welcome suffering and hardship.
4. To undertake only that which our situation in life demands.
Mary’s soul was remarkable for its
peace. She trusted that God would protect her and help her to do what was
necessary.
Our Lady was “troubled,” given her
incredible humility, but was not “troubled” due to sin and a lack of peace.
In this period of turmoil all over
the globe, what a good example Mary is for us who flirt with sin and often give
in, which always leads to inner unrest. Her fidelity to her Divine Son is the
balm that every soul would well imitate.
