This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Advent. Luke’s narrative style is on display as he deftly moves from the “annunciation” concerning John the Baptist to the one concerning the salvation of all humanity. There is a confluence of temporal and chronological markers, and the reappearance of Gabriel. The “sixth month” recalls v.24, and seems to imply that Elizabeth has only now come out of seclusion. This prepares for the sharing of the news of her pregnancy in v.36 and her subsequent welcome of Mary (vv.39–45). Yet geographically and socio-religiously we move away from the center (Jerusalem and the Temple) to the margins of the nations (Nazareth in Galilee). Gabriel, God’s messenger, is the connector, pointing to the God’s Word active in the world.

The Favored and Troubled Virgin. “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be .” Within a few short verses we learn that Mary is “favored” and “troubled.”

The words of greeting echo the distant words of Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel: “Let your servant find favor in your sight” (1 Sam 1:18 NRSV; a more literal rendering than our Catholic NAB translation). The words also parallel assurances of power and favor given to the judges of Israel: “The LORD is with you” (Judges 6:12 NAB). Matthew conveys the same assurance that the birth of Jesus meant the promise of God’s redeeming love by means of the name Emmanuel, “God is with us” (Matt 1:23). Despite these words of hope and promise, Mary was greatly troubled.

Mary “pondered what sort of greeting this might be,” that is, knowing all greetings are a precursor to what follows, she wondered what was to follow. Recall that in the tradition of the Levites, angels showed up when a priest had made a corrupt offering in order to slay the offending priest. Imagine Zechariah’s concern when Gabriel appears. Could Mary have been concerned about the marriage related appearance of angels? While perhaps a bit of a stretch, you do not often get to reference the Book of Tobit. Tobit, a book accepted by Catholics only, tells of a jealous angel who appeared on a bride’s wedding night each time she married and killed her bridegroom. Against the background of this popular story, the fear of a betrothed girl at the appearance of an angel is all the more understandable. Could it be that she thought an evil spirit was threatening to prevent her marriage?

Although Mary was not yet married, she was betrothed. According to ancient customs, the marriage would have been arranged by her father. She would live at home for a year after her betrothal. Then the groom would come to take her to his home, and the wedding celebration would last for an entire week. Legally, the marriage was sealed after the engagement. Thus, if Joseph had died before the wedding, Mary would have been considered a widow.

Image credit: The Annunciation, Leonardo da Vinci, Uffizi Gallery Florence | PD