Theological Foundations new file

145 Marian Character Incarnation of the Word were involved and because it was necessary to emphasize Mary’s eminence. “For just as the kings of this world choose people who are extraordinary because of their name or personal value, people who enjoy high esteem in the state, and send them as envoys to other eminent people, similarly, the greatness of God’s majesty and that of the most eminent of all mortals, the Blessed Virgin, required that the highest of the Archangels be sent to her.” 12 Mary “was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be” (Lk 1, 29). There were two reasons for her uneasiness. First, Mary feared that what she saw and heard was simply an illusion. Secondly, she was troubled because the words of rev- erence which she heard from the heavenly messenger did not correspond to her own opinion about herself. She did not want to listen to them but, at the same time, she wanted to be totally submissive to God. She did not accept the greeting of the angel credulously because she wanted to discern whether it was a message from heaven or merely a temptation and delusion. Mary knew that the angel of darkness often assumes the look of the angel of the light, therefore she realized that she should not believe this message without pondering it first, so that she would not make a hasty decision in such an important matter. 13 But, when she became convinced that this was indeed a message from heaven, she cried out: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me accord- ing to your word” (Lk 1, 38). In these words, she gave an example of submissiveness and deepest humility. “The angel greets her as the Mother of God, and she professes that she is His handmaid and that she would even want to become the servant of His Mother. She is called ‘full of grace’ but pronounces herself a deeply contemptible creature. She is pronounced to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit, but she places herself below everyone. And even though each one of us may call himself the son of God, at least due to the fact that we were all created by God, this Most Humble Virgin states that she is merely the handmaid of the Lord (...). From now on how can you, then, sustain all the proud and conceit- ed thoughts in your heart, when you have heard that the most Noble of