The Announcements to Mary and Zechariah (Luke 1)

     "But [Mary] was much perplexed by his words, and pondered what manner of greeting this might be."      

     "In the ninth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God." "Gabriel" means "God's Strength." In the Hebrew tradition, Gabriel is one of four archangels. Since he appears to both Zechariah and Mary, we can include both stories of the announcements of the birth of Jesus and that of John the Baptist, in one reading, since they are related, and each story illuminates the other. The two stories parallel each other, establishing from the  beginning the close relationship between Jesus and John, who are cousins, as we know.
     It is interesting that God chooses to communicate with Zechariah and Mary, by an archangel. There is a suggestion here of the ancient idea that God, like a king, is too lofty, too special, too important, to communicate with ordinary humans directly. So God sends his messengers for him.   Scripture has many accounts of God appearing in dreams, or visions, or through the voices of prophets and angels. Fear would be a natural response to such an appearance. So, Gabriel says to Zechariah and Mary, "Do not be afraid!"
      It is worth noting that in the annunciation to Zechariah in the first part of Luke, chapter 1, the archangel speaks to Zechariah alone, who in turn communicates the news to his wife Elizabeth. Why the archangel couldn't have gone to Elizabeth directly is not clear, but presumably the writer of the Gospel wanted to emphasize the uniqueness of Mary's role. Gabriel, after all, doesn't address Zechariah with any title, but he does address Mary as "favored one," in our translation, or "full of grace," as we say in the Angelus. The Greek for this phrase is one word: "kecharitomene," which we can render as "graced" or "gifted" or "favored." It is a title unique in all the Scriptures, as far as I know.
     Today's Gospel gives us some clues as to what Mary's uniqueness consists of. While, according to our translation, Zechariah is "terrified," Mary is merely "much perplexed." These descriptions are not casual or accidental. They show Mary to be in a more advanced, more mature spiritual state than Zechariah. Scripture says, in Proverbs, chapter 9, that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," but fear is not the whole of wisdom, and fear must be passed through on the way to the state of receptivity, of openness to God's will, that Mary exemplifies. Mary's perplexity does not interfere with her ability to hear Gabriel's message; Mary's perplexity does not lead to disbelief, as apparently Zechariah's confusion does, since Gabriel upbraids Zechariah for not believing him. I think that there is an insight here, concerning a relationship between fear and unbelief, about which more could be said.
     Gabriel says to Mary, "you have found favor with God." Again, this distinguishes Mary from Zechariah; it seems to me that Mary's fearlessness is, dare I say it, a precondition of God's favor. It is also the case, of course, that God's favor makes her fearlessness possible. One way or the other, God is preparing Mary for the great work he has for her. And Mary's response to this is not perplexity, but a question: "How can this be?" The archangel answers her, and Mary's reply is the simple statement, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord." This simplicity is another indication of Mary's uniqueness.
     So, we have in today's Gospel reading, what amounts to a list of attributes that are typical Christian responses to the Nativity.
     We are, or could be, always in expectation of the coming of the Lord, always in a God-centered state of mind, which, if I may put it this way, makes it possible for us to anticipate his coming, which is always in the future and always present as well.
     God does not overwhelm us with his presence and power, but approaches us, as he approached Zechariah and Mary, in such a way as to make it possible for us to hear him. We need not necessarily feel fear, as Zechariah did, although perplexity is understandable, as it was with Mary. Our readiness to hear the message is the relevant attribute here.
     The uniqueness of Mary is something we must always keep in mind. Her uniqueness is like our own. We are each bringing to birth continuously in ourselves the unique work that God is giving us to do. We are each graced, or gifted, or favored, and the Lord is with each one of us uniquely. He may not send an archangel to talk to us, but we remember that Gabriel's name means "God's Strength." God's strength is there for us one way or another, even when we don't recognize or perceive it.
     Perplexity, confusion, questioning, are allowed. God does not expect us to go over like felled trees when he sends his archangel, in whatever form, to talk to us, to shake us out of our ordinary state of mind. The receptiveness, the openness of Mary to the message of God is not a weak passivity. Rather, she is strong enough to let the archangel see her confusion, and she is strong enough to question him. So should we be. 
     Mary exemplifies openness to God's word; she is able to hear the message of the archangel: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." This is a promise, not just to Mary, but to all of us. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for all of us to bring God to birth in ourselves. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for each of us to continue God's work in the world, which is making present and real the Incarnation, in other words, making real the Nativity.
     Note Mary's simplicity, the simplicity of Mary's response. "Here am I, the servant of the Lord." Really, this is the response of each of us, in the end. After all the perplexity, and confusion, and questions that we experience in the demands of life, and in hearing the word of God, in the end we reduce them all to the one thing, "Here am I." When we get to that point, then God, then the archangel, can really talk to us, then we really experience the message, then we bring to birth in ourselves that presence of God, that Incarnation, that Nativity, that he wills for each of us, and for the world.
     "But she was much perplexed by his words, and pondered what sort of greeting this might be."
           Amen.