greatly troubled
The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord commemorates the angel Gabriel announcing to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she is to conceive. This feast celebrates one of the great Christian mysteries, the announcement of the Incarnation, God becoming human. The readings also show us the response of Mary and through her the response of all humanity to this great mystery.
The reading from the Gospel According to Luke 1:29 (NABRE) states that Mary “was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” When we consider that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the perfect representative of humanity to God, it seems odd to think of her being greatly troubled by being chosen to give birth to the Messiah. Fortunately, the Greek lends some clarity.
The Greek word used here is διαταράσσω (diatarasso), an intensified version of the verb ταράσσω (tarasso). This verb literally means “stirred,” “mixed,” or “jumbled up,” and from that root the word also can come to mean “troubled” or “agitated.” Closer to the root meaning, however, is the idea that this mental stirring or mixing means “confused,” a meaning far more consistent with what we would expect in this circumstance.
A better way to think about this passage from the Gospel According to Luke, then, is that Mary’s response to God is not one of being troubled or disconcerted but rather one of confusion, as her later question indicates: “How can this be?”
What would your response be in her situation? Does this series of events cause you confusion today?
related topics: favor with God; magnify; parthenos
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