Videos from Fr Claudio Doglio
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The Annunciation
The evangelist Luke begins his account of Jesus’ public ministry with a detailed narrative of the protagonist’s childhood. The first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke focus on the events leading up to Jesus’ public appearance. In chapter three, the evangelist, as a skilled historian and Hellenist, places the event in its historical context: “The fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius…”, and so on, regarding all the leaders of that time, “the Word of God was addressed to John in the desert.”
This marks the moment of Jesus’s manifestation in Israel. But what was that man doing before then? Where did he come from? Who was he? In what family was he born? How does Luke know the information he writes about? He was not present at those events, nor were the apostles. Maybe even Matthew and John, Jesus’s disciples, knew the teacher as an adult. They were not present in his family at the time of his birth.
Ultimately, this news depends on the testimony of others who knew these facts, such as people connected to Jesus’s family, including his relatives and members of his clan. Ancient tradition often states that Jesus’ mother shared important facts with the evangelist. While this is possible, it cannot be documented. Luke stayed in Jerusalem for two years, from 58 to 60. According to early Christian tradition, Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained in Jerusalem until her dormition. However, the timing of that event is unknown, as no source provides this information. We do not know whether Mary was alive during the years Luke was in Jerusalem. If she were still alive, it’s likely Luke knew her, they talked, and she could have shared something with him.
Another fascinating aspect of the tradition is that Luke is considered a painter, and many ancient icons are attributed to the evangelist Luke. For example, the patron saint of Bologna is the ‘Madonna of St. Luke,’ and the “Salus Populi Romani”—an icon whose reproduction you can see on my right—is also attributed to the painter Luke. It is an ancient icon preserved in Rome, in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. It is unlikely that Luke himself was the actual creator of the painting.
Ecclesiastical tradition has led the evangelist to create a beautiful image of Mary because, in the infancy narratives, Mary is the central figure in Luke. Luke’s depiction of her is literary, not visual. However, tradition also holds that icons depicting Luke often show him at an easel, with a brush in hand, painting an icon of the Mother of God.
Therefore, it is likely that during his stay in Jerusalem, Luke met eyewitnesses and found written documents about the beginning of Jesus’ life. He also encountered relatives of John the Baptist who were somehow connected to Jesus. There was probably a narrative about the Baptist’s origins, as Luke mentions the announcement of the Baptist’s birth and links John’s events to those of Jesus. Perhaps the text he found in Jerusalem, within the Judeo-Christian environment, was connected to the Baptist. The text is written in simple, ungrammatical Greek, typical of a Hebrew-speaking author who has learned Greek and uses it in clear, straightforward phrases.
In our languages, this is much less noticeable. Still, when reading the original text, there is a clear difference between the first four verses of the work and the story that begins in verse five. The first four verses are directly authored by Luke. However, from verse five onward, the author cites a source that reproduces a text he did not write but had already found written.
Many believe that Luke, being Greek, wrote the Gospel in beautiful Greek. Some argue that Luke’s Greek is often mediocre, if not poor, but that’s not Luke’s fault; the sources are responsible. Matthew’s Greek is much better; however, we know that Matthew wrote for a Jewish audience, which suggests he used simpler Greek. In contrast, because Matthew writes within a Jewish tradition, he can focus on literary skill and craft polished, contemporary Greek without worrying about preserving ancient texts.
Luke, coming from outside and having known apostolic preaching through testimonies and ancient documents, holds these texts in reverence. Therefore, he does not allow himself to correct or alter them; instead, he preserves them as relics. We are dealing with texts written in simple language, reflecting the mentality typical of the ‘Hasidim’—the faithful devotees, saints, and the poor of the Lord—who possess an intense and mature spirituality and eagerly await God’s revelation and the Messiah’s manifestation.
Immediately after the prologue, Luke recounts the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth. The scene is set in the temple in Jerusalem: “In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in God’s eyes, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.” Notice the simple language, straightforward syntax, and short phrases. In the original, the verbs are missing, the verb ‘to be’ is not used, and the construction is basic; he presents us with a familiar scene.
Two righteous individuals from the Old Testament—two good old people—were childless, and this childlessness is a significant theme in biblical tradition. We understand many similar stories because a son is seen as a blessing from God. If a son is absent, it appears that God’s blessing is also missing, and this elderly priest, Zachariah, undoubtedly feels the pain of not having children. Priestly duties were passed down from father to son, which is why Zachariah felt the loss of an heir to whom he could pass them. He is said to have belonged to the class of Abijah, one of the 24 priestly divisions, each of which served the temple for a week every six months, totaling fifteen days a year. In short, there were several thousand priests, and each class ensured daily service for a week. The incense offering was a special task performed by a single priest, whose name was chosen by lot each day.
As this evening’s incense offering takes place, Zacharias, by chance, is the one chosen to enter the Lord’s temple, and something extraordinary occurs. There is a divine revelation. The story resembles apocalyptic passages from the book of Daniel and echoes ancient announcements. The closest parallel is the announcement of Samson’s birth at the end of the Book of Judges. The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah at the right side of the incense altar and announces the birth of a son. The old priest remains incredulous; it seems impossible to him that what has been said will come true. He desires it deeply, but it exceeds his expectations; he now considers it impossible.
This disbelief is marked by a traumatic event: he loses his speech. Zachariah leaves the temple after something unseen by others occurs, and he cannot speak. People grow worried because he is delayed in coming out; he stays inside too long, longer than usual, and when he finally emerges, he can no longer speak. They understand something has occurred, but they don’t know what. At the end of the week, Zachariah returns home to his village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Luke’s story does not specify the name, but tradition identifies the town as Ein Karem. Elizabeth finds her husband in this state of silence. There is likely a reference to the prophet Ezekiel, who experienced something similar in the Old Testament. He remained mute for a period, as if to signify a break or interruption. Zachariah regains his speech when his son John is born.
It is a passing phase; the old priesthood ends, and the old Levite priest falls silent. That marks the end of the Old Testament. The grace of God breaks into history to usher in a new reality, running parallel to the Baptist’s announcement. Luke recounts the announcement of Jesus. Right after, we see the famous and beautiful episode of the Annunciation. Luke does not describe the surroundings in detail but simply introduces the characters: “In the sixth month….,” which is six months after John the Baptist’s conception, following the angel’s announcement… “God sent the angel Gabriel,” the same angel who was sent to the temple, “to a city in Galilee called Nazareth.”
Note the contrast: the first annunciation takes place in Jerusalem, the center of tradition and the heart of Israel’s faith. The temple—the holiest place in Hebraism—was addressed to a man, a priest, an elder, and therefore, by definition, someone with authority. In this second case, however, the setting is the periphery, marginal, a small town in Galilee, outside the Holy Land, in Judea, near Jerusalem. Far from the center, Galilee is inhabited by many pagans.
The town of Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament; it remains unknown. Nothing significant ever happened there. The recipient of this message is a young woman, a virgin named Mary, who is betrothed to Joseph, a man from David’s lineage. Why a member of David’s family, originally from Bethlehem, is living in Nazareth is not explained.
This young woman, to whom the angel Gabriel addresses, is engaged to Joseph. In other words, the marriage contract had already been made. According to the usual practice in Judaism, marriage was celebrated in two stages; the first, with the official contract, involved all marital union duties except cohabitation. This made it official that the two intended to marry and, therefore, set the date for preparing the house. After a few months, up to a year, they would begin living together, with a feast marking the start of cohabitation. During this period, between the marriage contract and the start of cohabitation, the announcement takes place.
The angel Gabriel introduces himself to Mary and delivers a message. Luke employs a theatrical style that includes only spoken words—direct speech without commentary or description. The angel says … Mary responds … the angel says … Mary responds … the angel departs. Everything is in direct speech, and within this structure, Luke demonstrates his literary and theological skill.
He is the narrator who intervenes to craft the text, which carries a powerful theological message. The angel greets Mary with an important phrase: Χαῖρε = Jaire = Rejoice. He does not call her by name but by a complex adjective: κεχαριτωμένη = kecharitomene = transformed by grace. “The Lord is with you” is a greeting given to leaders such as Moses, Joshua, and Gideon when they were assigned significant tasks. Mary is surprised and wonders what the greeting means. She realizes it is addressed to a great hero who has been given an extraordinary mission. The angel explains the significance of this greeting: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end.”
The angel tells her: ‘You will have a son; this child will be the Messiah and will establish the messianic kingdom.’ Mary is engaged to Joseph. The angel does not say to her, ‘You are expecting a baby.’ Instead, he tells her that she “will conceive” a child. Therefore, there is no objection from Mary, who does not claim she has had sexual relations, so it is not possible that she is expecting a child. But she asks how this will happen since ‘I have no relations with a man’ (present tense) and has no intention of meeting a man. There is a desire for virginity on Mary’s part that needs clarification. It’s like asking a spiritual director—the young woman, with no experience other than marriage, asks: ‘So, my idea of virginity is not valid. If you tell me I will have a baby, I will not remain a virgin.’
The angel concludes the announcement by explaining that she will be a mother precisely because she is a virgin. The virginity discussed here goes beyond the physical; it is the virginity of the heart: κεχαριτωμένη = kecharitomene = transformed by grace. This emphasizes her quality, a woman marked by grace and completely redeemed. It is specifically this virginity of her heart that will make the incarnation possible. She can become the mother of God because she genuinely accepts the announcement.
The angel explains, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child born will be called holy, the Son of God.”Not just the Messiah, but the Son of God. He adds a sign, almost like a test: “And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived….” Do you remember her? —the angel seems to say—. Everyone thought she was sterile; it seemed she couldn’t have children. But now she is in her sixth month, “for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary didn’t react like Zechariah; she didn’t hesitate but asked for clarification, “How can this be?” When the angel proposes this extraordinary plan, which aligns with her desire for virginity, she responds eagerly: “May it be to me according to your word! γένοιτό μοι = guénoito moi!”
In Greek, the phrase is optional and expresses a wish: “I am delighted, I am the handmaiden (servant) of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” It is not a sign of humility. The servant of God, the prime minister, is an important person in court; it’s the only time it appears in the feminine. Mary understands that she has been chosen as a plenipotentiary. She has been given a significant task and accepts it. “Then the angel departed from her.”