By Fr. Kelvin Ugwu, MSP The Angel Gabriel
Precedence is very important in logic.
The Angel Gabriel visited Zechariah in the temple and delivered a message that Zechariah found very difficult to believe. He did not hide his reservations.
What does this tell us?
The visit to Mary was not an isolated case. It had precedence. There were prior events to compare.
Faith, therefore, does not mean the absence of questions, even when the messenger is an angel.
Yes, Zechariah was struck dumb for questioning. But even that had a purpose. His sudden inability to speak became evidence to the people waiting outside that something extraordinary had happened in the temple. In that way, they became witnesses.
Then the same Angel visited Mary. He delivered a message that was obviously even more difficult to believe. Mary also did not hide her reservations. But this time, the Angel responded differently. He took his time to explain.
Yes, one was struck dumb for questioning; the other received an explanation.
My thinking is this: Zechariah was a priest. He knew the Scriptures. He could not deny familiarity with the story of Abraham and Sarah conceiving in old age, or Hannah receiving Samuel, or Manoah’s wife giving birth to Samson. Barrenness overturned by divine intervention was not new in Israel’s history.
But what Mary was told was totally new. No woman had ever conceived in the manner she was about to. It makes sense that the Angel would explain further. Her question arose not from disbelief but from the uniqueness of the event.
But that is by the way…
When Joseph discovered Mary’s pregnancy, it is important to note that he did not simply believe her, despite her known virtue. What convinced Joseph was another angelic visitation.
The story of the virgin conception was not narrated as though the writers were unaware of how difficult it is to believe. Nor was it presented as metaphor or symbol. It was told as a concrete claim, one that stands or falls on its own weight.
And that is precisely where it differs from many other stories we have examined.
#PurestPurity
