The Gospel of Luke (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture): (A Catholic Bible Commentary on the New Testament by Trusted Catholic Biblical Scholars - CCSS)

The contrast in the settings of the two birth announcements is striking. The first occurs in the temple in Jerusalem, the second in an obscure village. The first occurs at the fixed hour of a liturgical celebration, the second at an unspecified time of day. The first occurs to an official priest, the second to a young maiden. Despite this contrast,

“Holy Poverty puts to shame all greed, avarice, and all the anxieties of this life.”a St. Francis of Assisi

Luke writes that she was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. This description suggests that if Mary represents Israel as virgin, Anna represents Israel primarily as widow (“eighty-four”21 equals twelve times seven—i.e., the number of Israel’s tribes times th

Mary leads us to discover the secret of Christian joy, reminding us that Christianity is, first and foremost, euangelion, “good news,” which has as its heart and its whole content the person of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, the one Savior of the world.b

If Zechariah’s muteness represents the silence of prophecy in Israel until the time of fulfillment, by this call to joy Mary represents Israel as faithful “daughter Zion” to whom the Lord announces that the time of fulfillment has arrived.

As a whole, the Beatitudes reverse the world’s understanding of true happiness, showing that it is found not in riches, gratification, entertainment, and fame, but in God. Learning this lesson on discipleship requires faith, since the promises and rewards may not be experienced until the heavenly kingdom.

“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted

The verb overshadow (episkiazō), found in the Gospels only here and in the description of the cloud at the transfiguration (Matt 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:34), recalls how in Moses’ day the cloud “settled down” (episkiazō in the LXX) over the tent of meeting, the precursor to the temple (Exod 40:35). Here, the verb suggests that Mary, who is about to

Elizabeth’s question also echoes the expression of awe of David when he was about to bring up the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem: “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” (2 Sam 6:9).