The Annunciation

The first time I saw the movie, "The Last Unicorn" something occured me. One of the most poignant remarks was when the Unicorn had been changed into a human and commented that she felt her body dying around her. It struck me that that is how Jesus might have felt. Immortal God in a mortal human body. But it also had me thinking of the Incarnation and the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Non-Catholic Christians have no doubts that Jesus was sinless, they do have a problem with extending that sinlessness to His Mother. Many of the non-Catholics I have spoken with over the years seem to believe that Catholics have been brainwashed in some way to blindly accept everything the Church teaches. Most of those I have spoken with, refuse to believe that I could actually have a functioning brain that enables me to work things out for myself.

Back to the Annunciation...

At the time of the Annunciation, all Israel was waiting for the promised Messiah, one who would come from the "stump of Jesse" (Is 11: 1-2). In other words, from the line of King David. Scripture gives us the lineage of Joseph as descending from David, (Matthew)  and it is reasonable to say that Mary also came of that royal line as it was her DNA alone that passed to the infant in her womb. 

The angel visited Mary in Nazareth. Joseph had not taken her to be his wife at that time. She would have been dwelling in her own house inherited from her parents, especially as that is where She returned after her visit to Elizabeth and where the Holy Family later resided, when they returned from Egypt. Despite this, Mary's kinswoman Elizabeth lived nearer to Bethlehem, leading one to assume that may have been where Mary's mother or father had come from, as did Joseph. 

Much has been written over the interpretation of the Angelic Salutation as to whether it was "Hail, Full of Grace" as the Catholic Church has taught through the ages, or a more simple greeting of Mary as being "Highly favoured".  This translation, "Full of Grace" was approved by the ancient Fathers of the Church, and agrees with the ancient Syriac and Arabic versions. 

This takes me back to the unicorn, feeling the human body dying all around her. Jesus, God made Man, was without sin, the Quintessence of Purity, Goodness and Truth. For Him to have remained in Mary's womb for 9 months, She had to have been untouched by sin, to the point that she was untainted even by Original Sin, not by Her own power, but by the Grace of God. 

This can be aligned to the next thing the Angel said to Mary, "The Lord is with thee." God was with Her, filling Her with His Divine Grace and by his interior graces, protecting Her from all sin to ensure Her purity.

Jesus was so aware of others that He felt when someone touched the hem of His garment. How much more would He have been affected, growing in a womb. Mary was the Ark of the New Covenant. 

In V.34 Mary asks the Angel: "How shall this be done?". She only asks about the manner. --- "Because I know not man". This response, St. Augustine notes, would have been to no purpose, had she not made a vow to God to remain always a virgin. But I won't go too far into that here.

Mary is informed by the Angel that her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth is with child. Luke 1:5 tells us: "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zachary, of the course of Abia; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth."

This means it is highly likely that, as Mary and Elizabeth were relatives, both the royal and sacerdotal tribes were united and Jesus, who was in Himself both king and priest, was born of both these tribes. When reading Sacred Scripture, one notices a certain elegance in how things work out.

Despite this, Jesus is not recognised as being a member of the Levitical priesthood but rather, as we are told in Hebrews 7:11
If then perfection was by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchisedech, and not be called according to the order of Aaron?

Jesus is made a high priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech. (Heb 6:20)

The reaction of Mary to the announcement of the Angel that She was the one chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah is quite revealing. Various non-Catholics have complained that Catholics make too much of Mary considering very little is said about Her in Scripture. On the contrary, I believe we can understand a great deal about Mary, especially from what is not said explicitly.

I find it entirely understandable that there is little written about Mary in the New Testament. Mary understood her role in the scheme of things and the fact that She kept silent about Herself, except where She appears in the Infancy narratives, reveals to us a great deal about Her deep humility.

The Infancy Narratives, which are essentially the Joyful Mysteries, had to have been related by Mary to the Apostles and/or Evangelists. Mary doesn't speak about Herself and Her "feelings". She doesn't do an equivalent of a "victory dance" when She understood that She had been chosen by God to be the Mother of the long-awaited Saviour.  No. She humbly submits to God: " "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word."  In other words, the humble servant was saying to her Lord: "Not my will, but Thine be done."

Then the Angel gave the news of Her kinswoman Elizabeth, and the first thought that came to her mind was to go on a journey of several days to be of assistance. No mention of sharing her own news with friends or relatives, not even her affianced husband. One would imagine that God put it in Her heart to keep Her silence as far as Joseph was concerned. But it is hard not to see that Mary put Herself in third place: 1/ God; 2/ Others 3/ Self.  Pretty much what Her Son taught during the three years of His ministry.