“There are young maidens without number: one is my dove, my perfect one.”
From ‘The Glories of Mary’ by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguroi, Bishop and Doctor of the Church:
But what does the humble Mary answer to a salutation so full of praises? Nothing; she remains silent, but reflecting upon it, is troubled: *Who having heard was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. * (“Quae cum audisset, turbata est in sermone ejus, et cogitabat quails esset ista salutation”).
Why was she troubled? Did she fear an illusion, or was it her virginal modesty which caused her to be disturbed at the sight of a man, as some suppose, in the belief that the Angel appeared under a human form? No, the text is clear: “She was troubled at his saying.” ‘Not at his appearance, but at what he said,’ remarks Eusebius Emissenus. Her trouble, then, arose entirely from her humility, which was disturbed at the sound of praises so far exceeding her own lowly estimate of herself. Hence, the more the angel exalted her, the more she humbled herself, and entered into consideration of her own nothingness. . .
The Blessed Virgin was already well aware, from the sacred Scriptures, that the time fortold by the prophets for the coming of the Messiah had arrived; that the weeks of Daniel were completed; that already, according to the prophecy of Jacob, the sceptre of Juda had passed into the hands of Herod, a strange king: she already knew that a Virgin was to be the Mother of the Messiah. She then heard the angel give her praises which, it was evident, could apply to no other than to the Mother of God. Hence, may not the thought, or at least some vague impression, have entered her mind that perhaps she was this chosen Mother of God? No, her profound humility did not even admit such an idea. Those praises only caused great fear in her: “so much so,” as St. Peter Chrysologus remarks, “that as Christ was pleased to be comforted by an angel, so was it necessary that the Blessed Virgin should be encouraged by one” (“Sicut Christus per Angelum confortari voluit, ita decuit Virginem per Angelum animari”—Suarez, De Inc. q. 30, a. 2).
St. Gabriel, seeing Mary so troubled and almost stupefied by the salutation, was obliged to encourage her, saying, *Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found grace with God. * (“Ne timeas, Maria; invenisti enim gratiam apud Deum”—Luke, i. 30).
Fear not, O Mary, and be not surprised at the great titles by which I have saluted thee; for if thou in thine own eyes art so little and lowly, God, who exalts the humble, has made thee worthy to find the grace lost by men; and therefore he has preserved thee from the common stain of the children of Adam. Hence, from the moment of thy conception, he has honored thee with a grace greater than that of all the saints; and therefore he now finally exalts thee even to the dignity of being his Mother.
Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son: and thou shalt call His name Jesus. (“Ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium, et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum”).
And now, why this delay, O Mary? “The angel awaits the reply” (says St. Bernard); “and we also, O Lady, on whom the sentence of condemnation weighs so heavily, await the word of mercy” (“Exspectat Angelus responsum; expectamus et nos, O Domina! verbum miserationis, quos miserabiliter permit sentential damnationis”); we, who are already condemned to death.
“Behold, the price of our salvation is offered thee; we shall be instantly delivered if thou consentest” (“Ecce offertur tibi pretium salutis nostrae; statim liberabimur, si consentis”), continues the same St. Bernard. Behold, O Mother of us all, the price of our salvation is already offered thee: that price will be the divine Word, made man in thee; in that moment in which thou acceptest him for thy Son we shall be delivered from death. “For thy Lord himself desires thy consent, by which he has determined to save the world, with an ardor equal to the love with which he has loved thy beauty” (“Ipse quoque omnium Dominus, quantum concupivit decorum tuum, tantum desiderat et responsionis assensum, in qua nimirum proposuit salvare mundum”—De Laud. V. M. hom. 4).
“Answer then, O sacred Virgin,” says St. Augustine, or some other ancient author; “why delayest thou giving life to the world?” (“Responde jam, Virgo sacra! vitam quid tricas mundo?”—Serm. 120, E. B. app.). Answer quickly, O Lady; no longer delay the salvation of the world, which now depends upon thy consent.
But see, Mary already answers; she says to the angel:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. (“Ecce ancilla Domini; fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum”—Luke, i. 38).
thanks for your replies Lily M and Shin…this question was running through my mind all day yesterday and i could not fathom why Mary was troubled by the angel’s greeting…for the angel didn’t even get to the “good” part of his message to Mary and she was troubled just by the way she was being greeted.