After the annunciation the silence of Mary is very moving. That she became the Mother of the Messiah and that it was done miraculously were sufficient to cause a nervous breakdown in anyone. It is difficult to bear such a psychological weight alone and in silence. If Mary kept this secret in complete silence then we stand before a unique case of human greatness, the circumstances of which are worth analyzing.
Mary did not tell anyone the secret of the virginal Incarnation. She did not tell Joseph (cf. Mt 1:19). She did not tell Elizabeth. When Mary arrived at Zechariah’s home in Ain Karim, Elizabeth already knew the secret, at least in its broad outlines. Scarcely had Mary opened her lips to say “shalom,” when Elizabeth burst into exclamations and congratulations.
During the long nights, in her sleep or sleeplessness, during her walks to the spring or on the hill, in the synagogue or during the ritual prayers demanded by the Torah, when he was working in the garden or taking care of the flock on the hill, when she was weaving wool or kneading bread…Mary, prostrated interiorly, submissive, full of the Lord, concentrating on and penetrated by that presence, identified herself with the One who was the life of her life, the soul of her soul….
From the gospel context we can conclude therefore that Mary did not share her secret with anyone, not even with her own mother. All of this, indicates that the secret did not leave the lips of Mary. She hid herself with her own secret, in the silence of her heart. She broke away from public opinion, she disregarded what people might say, she abandoned herself to the will of the Father and remained in peace. Never in the history of the world has any woman lived such vital plenitude and existential intensity.
Silence halted and incarnated itself in Mary along with the Word. During these nine months, Mary did not need to pray, if by praying we mean to voice feelings or concepts. Never is communication so deep as when nothing is said, and never is silence so eloquent as when nothing is communicated. Here, during these nine months, everything was still: “in” Mary and “with” Mary all is one: time, space, eternity, word, music, silence, Mary, God. Everything was assumed and divinized. The Word was made flesh.
Extracted from the book The Silence of Mary by Fr. Ignacio Larrañaga
