7. The
angel greeted Mary with a new address, which I could not find anywhere else in
Scripture. I ought to explain this expression briefly. The angel says, “Hail,
full of grace.” The Greek word is κεχαριτωμένη. I do not remember having read this word
elsewhere in Scripture. An expression of this kind, “Hail, full of grace,” is
not addressed to a male. This greeting was reserved for Mary alone. Mary knew
the Law; she was holy, and had learned the writings of the prophets by
meditating on them daily. If Mary had known that someone else had been greeted
by words like these, she would never have been frightened by this strange
greeting. Hence the angel says to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary! You have found
grace in God’s eyes. Behold, you will conceive in your womb. You will bear a
son, and you will name him ‘Jesus.’ He will be great, and will be called ‘Son
of the Most High.’ ” (Homily on
Luke 6.7 in Origen, Homilies
on Luke and Fragments on Luke [trans. Joseph T. Lienhard; The Fathers of
the Church 94; Washington, D. C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2009],
26)
