“‘Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.’ But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” (Luke 1: 28)

The angel’s announcement to Mary would seem to be cause for joy. Gabriel’s words recall Zechariah’s prophecy: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord.” The Lord’s coming gives us reason to celebrate. But Mary is instead troubled by this greeting. She may have been even more perturbed by the angel’s message that she, an unmarried woman, would bear a son.

Mary’s concern reminds me of a passage from Edwidge Danticat’s memoir, Brother, I’m Dying. Danticat learns she is pregnant on the same day she is told her father is dying:

I slipped to the floor and sobbed. I was afraid of losing my father and also struck with a different kind of fear: baby panic. Everything was suddenly mixed up in my head and leading me to the darkest places. Would I carry to full term? Would there be complications? Would I die? Would the baby die? Would the baby and I both die? Would my father die before we died? Or would we all die at the same time?

Danticat’s particular circumstances throw into relief the real risks of pregnancy, even in the U.S. today. From its beginning, new life is shadowed by death. The joy of expectancy carries with it the fear of mortality. 

Mary undoubtedly knew women who had died in childbirth. Perhaps she feared that possibility herself. Even after she had safely delivered her baby, Jesus’ life remained vulnerable. Mary and Joseph sought refuge in Egypt to protect their child from Herod’s death sentence. They had experienced how precarious the lives of poor, migrant families could be.

For many parents today, our world looks like a hostile place. Reports from the U.S.-Mexico border tell of mothers from Honduras dragging their children away from tear gas, and of immigration officials tearing babies out of their mothers’ arms. Less often do we hear of state-sanctioned violence against youth whose parents are citizens of this country. Poor communities targeted by the War on Drugs have seen a whole generation of young men swept into prison. Under the system of mass incarceration, young people of color are regularly subjected to police brutality. Children of all backgrounds attend schools threatened by gun violence.

What courage it takes to bring a child into this perilous world. Danticat calls it “a huge leap of faith into the future.” In today’s Gospel, Mary makes that leap. She puts her faith in the angel’s assertion that “nothing will be impossible for God.” She trusts that God will continue to fill her with grace and journey with her as she welcomes this new life, God’s own son. We are likewise called to trust in God’s presence among us, especially among the poor and vulnerable of our society. We pray for the grace to stand in solidarity with them. On this Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may we renew our commitment to building a more just and peaceful world for all our children.