"But she was greatly troubled at the saying"

"But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be." (Lk. 1:29)

Of all the moments in the history of humanity, this is one of the greatest. At this very moments, we see Mary, the New Eve, our Mother, the Mother of God, troubled at the greeting of an angel. Heck, who wouldn't be? But there's the point: Mary is human, she is one of us. Yes, she was conceived without Original Sin and is the Mother of God, but she is also human. She knows what it is to feel pain, to be afraid, to be lonely. She had to flee to Egypt with her newborn Son because this humble, helpless child that she held in her arms was in danger of being killed. Yes, Mary knows our pain, because she has felt it, too. Being perfect, she would have been able to fully recognize, and be compassionate towards, the pain of everyone she met. Being Jewish, she would have known the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob, being sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. Maybe she even cracked a joke or two about that to her husband on their way to Egypt. But it all started with a single greeting, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (Lk. 1:28), and she was troubled. This one phrase, this joyful greeting, hid behind it a life that would be filled with pain, a pain so terrible that it would culminate in the Cross: "At the Cross her station keeping, stood the mournful mother weeping." Yes, Mary's life was one filled with sorrow and pain, but that was not the end, far from it. The Cross leads to the Resurrection, and just as Mary pondered what the angel's greeting might mean, so do we have to ponder the important events in our lives. We need to ask the big questions, especially when they hurt, because it is through the pain that we become stronger, not of our own merit, but because the pain humbles us to realize that we cannot do this on our own. We need each other, but, most importantly, we need God. Despite being troubled at the angel's greeting, despite pondering what it might mean and probably being scared out of her mind at any conclusions she may have drawn, Mary still said yes: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Lk. 1:38) The fiat. It is in the face of darkness that the smallest light shines as the day. A simple yes to God, assenting to His Will, at the time you feel least able to do so, those are the moments that define us. Those are the moments when we are truly free. Recognizing our brokenness, our weakness, and helplessness before God, it is then that we find out who we are, it is then that we are fully human. Yes, we are greatly troubled: all the more reason to say let Your Will be done, because the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of men, and it is in our weakness that the Almighty becomes our strength. This is our hope: Do not be afraid of the darkness, for Christ is our Light.
Amen.
Alleluia!