(Lk1:26-38) None besides Jesus has been more misunderstood than Mary. Even Gabriel the archangel mistook her perplexity for fear. She was probably the first sinless human he had ever met. St. John tells us: "Perfect love excludes fear." (1Jn4:18) Mary's love, even at the annunciation, was so perfect that she was incapable of fearing anyone, neither angels nor devils, nor God Himself. Her one concern was never to squander God's grace. And she never did! Her soul was flooded with grace, yet she was as careful with every last drop as the priest is at mass with the smallest crumbs of the consecrated host. That's why she asks how she is to be a mother. Hadn't God inspired Joseph and her to choose perpetual virginity even in marriage! She would sooner die than squander God's grace! Whereas many Catholics fiancées today toss away all God's grace with abandon rather than wait until after the wedding as the author of marriage commands.
Mary was troubled - not fearful - because a being more excellent then her by nature was nevertheless exalting her, a mere teenage girl, as an inferior praises his superior: "Hail, full of grace! Gabriel cried." The human form Gabriel no doubt took - as angles had in the past - must have been prostrate or on bended knee before God's mother to be. This troubled Mary. Today we only genuflect before our God in the tabernacle. In those days, however, every subject bent the knee before his sovereign. According to some church fathers, Lucifer rebelled when it was revealed to him that some day he would have to pay homage to a little girl. How can some say we men praise Mary too much when even angels must exalt her thus?
Jesus supposedly rebuked Mary for asking him to perform a miracle at Canaan. (Then suddenly does it anyway!) Jesus once asked: "Who is my mother? Then supposedly puts Mary in her place saying: "The one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Truly Mary alone did so!) "Son, why have you treated us so?" asked Mary Jesus to which Jesus replied: "Didn't you know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Lk2:48) Some see this as Mary's rebuke which is then countered by Jesus' own: Nonsense!
These are all fundamental misinterpretations. Nevertheless, there is something very different about the way Jesus and Mary interact. Why? Because Mary was the first perfect human being since Eden to appear on earth. She was dawn's first light announcing the blinding sun of Jesus' divinity - the new Eve foreshadowing Jesus, the new Adam. Neither had any inclination to sin. By nature we have no inclination to the things of God. They were simple and naturally understood each other. We are complex and naturally misunderstand one another. In a word, their few conversations give us a glimpse into paradise, where clothing behavior with manners was as unnecessary as covering the body with cloth. Indeed, clothing is our feeble but necessary attempt to win back some of the purity that we now find hard to even imagine. Likewise etiquette is our feeble but necessary attempt to win back some of the society that we now find hard to even imagine - a society that Jesus and Mary enjoyed. How easy it would be after a peak into paradise to conclude that it was a nudist colony! Likewise, Jesus and Mary's discourse may not be politely polished by our standards, but Eden wasn't modest by our standards either. Clearly it is our standards that are wrong! And they couldn't be more wrong!
Mary did raise Jesus. However in a much deeper sense Jesus raised Mary. He loved us enough to be our public gospel for 3 years. He loved her enough to be her private gospel for 30 years! 3 years for all of humanity vs. 30 years for Mary - isn't this a torrent of grace for Mary? Not one of Jesus' words or actions escaped her prayerful consideration - not one! How worthy the perfect master was of a perfect disciple. Amen!
