. . . Rejoice,
thou who art full of grace. Since Eve had been cursed, now Mary hears herself
blessed. She considered in her mind what sort of salutation this might be:
surely not an unseemly and provocative greeting as from a forward man to a
young maiden? Or was it perhaps a divine salutation, since God was mentioned
together with the greeting, The Lord is with thee. First the angel calms the
fear in her heart, so that she might hear the divine decision when she was peaceful
and untroubled. While she was troubled, she would not be able to hear and
understand clearly the things that would take place. When the angel said to
her, Thou who art full of grace, it is as if he were saying, "Thou hast
found grace and favor in the sight of God, and thou art pleasing to God."
This is not out of the ordinary, for there were many other women who had found
favor with God. But what the angel says next has never before been heard: . . .
. . . Behold, thou shalt conceive–this is extraordinary, something of which no
other virgin has been deemed worthy. (p.
15)
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