Мария же сказала Ангелу: как будет это, когда Я мужа не знаю? Ангел сказал Ей в ответ: Дух Святый найдет на Тебя, и сила Всевышнего осенит Тебя; посему и рождаемое Святое наречется Сыном Божиим. 

Дева сказала: "кaк будет это" не потому, что она как бы не поверила, но потому, что она, как мудрая и разумная, желала узнать образ настоящего события, ибо ничего подобного не было прежде сего и ни после сего не будет. Поэтому и Ангел прощает Ей и не осуждает как Захарию, но еще объясняет образ события. Захария справедливо осуждается: он имел много примеров, так как многие неплодные рождали, а Дева не имела ни одного примера. "Дух Святый, - говорит, - найдет на Тебя", устрояя утробу Твою плодоносной и созидая плоть для единосущного Слова. "И сила Всевышнего, - Сын Божий, ибо Христос есть сила Божия (1 Кор. 1, 24), - осенит Тебя", то есть покроет Тебя, окружит Тебя со всех сторон. Ибо как птица осеняет совершенно своих птенцов, накрывая своими крыльями, так сила Божия объяла Деву совершенно; сие и значит "осенить". Быть может, иной скажет: как живописец сначала набрасывает тень, потом раскрашивает окончательно, так и Господь, созидая Сам Себе плоть и составляя образ человека, сначала оттенил плоть во утробе Матери, смесив ее из кровей Приснодевы, а потом образовал ее. Но это сомнительно. Ибо одни говорят, что вместе с тем, как Господь осенил утробу Девы, тотчас же стал совершенный младенец, а другие не принимают сего. Выслушай же, что говорит: "посему и рождаемое Святое", то есть растущее в утробе твоей постепенно, а не вдруг явившееся в совершенном виде. Отсюда и уста Нестория заграждаются. Ибо он говорил, что не Сын Божий, обитавший в утробе Девы, воплотился, но простой человек, родившийся от Марии, стал иметь впоследствии Бога своим сопутником. Пусть же слышит, что рождаемое в утробе, именно оно, было Сын Божий, не иной был носимый во чреве и иной Сын Божий, но один и тот же был Сын Девы и Сын Божий. Смотри, как указал и на Святую Троицу, поименовав Духа Святаго, силу - Сына, Всевышнего - Отца.

     Вот и Елисавета, родственница Твоя, называемая неплодною, и она зачала сына в старости своей, и ей уже шестой месяц, ибо у Бога не останется бессильным никакое слово. Тогда Мария сказала: се, Раба Господня; да будет Мне по слову твоему. И отошел от Нее Ангел. 

Perhaps some wonder how Elizabeth was related to the Virgin, when the Virgin was of the tribe of Judah, and Elizabeth of the daughters of Aaron, for the Law required that marriages should be of the same tribe, and therefore the kinship was between those who came from the same tribe. To this we can also say that since the time of the captivity the generations have been mixed, or better - the following: Aaron had for his wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Aminadab, and this was of the tribe of Judah. You see, Our Lady was a relative of Elizabeth from the beginning, from Aaron. Since Aaron's wife came from the tribe of Judah, from which the Mother of God was, and Elizabeth was from the daughters of Aaron, it follows that Elizabeth is a relative of the Mother of God. For her foremother, Aaron's wife, was of the tribe of Judah. Look also at the succession of kinship: Aaron's wife is Elizabeth, and Zachariah's wife is Elizabeth, as descended from her. But let's see what the Virgin says. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto Me according to thy word": I am the painter's board; let the painter write what he wants; let the Lord do what pleases Him. Obviously, what was said before: "how it will be" was not an expression of unbelief, but of a desire to know the image; for if she had not believed, she would not have said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto Me according to thy word. Know also that Gabriel means a man of God, Mary is a lady, and Nazareth is sanctification. Therefore, when God was to be made man, it is fitting that Gabriel is sent, which means: the man of God; and the greeting is performed in a holy place, that is, in Nazareth, for where God is, there is nothing unclean.

     And Mary arose in these days, and went in haste to the hill country, to the city of Judah, and went into the house of Zacharias, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 

The Virgin, hearing from the Angel that Elizabeth had conceived, hastened to her, partly rejoicing in the well-being of her kinsman, and partly as very prudent, desiring to be finally convinced whether the truth had been spoken by Him who had appeared to her, so that, according to the justice of what was said about Elizabeth, she would not doubt what concerned Herself. For though she had hoped, yet she was afraid lest she might be deceived, and this was not out of unbelief, but out of a desire to know the matter more accurately. Zechariah lived in the hill country; that's why Virgo is in a hurry there. And John, having received a certain special gift over other people, plays in his mother's womb, which is why he is greater than the prophets (Matt. 11:9), for they prophesied after their birth, and he was vouchsafed such a gift while still in his mother's womb. Look: the Virgin greeted Elizabeth, that is, began to speak with her. Thus, the voice of the Virgin was the voice of God incarnate in Her, and therefore He vouchsafed grace to the Forerunner while still in Her womb and made Her a prophet, for the prophesied words of Elizabeth to Mary were not the words of Elizabeth, but of the Child; and the mouth of Elizabeth only served him, just as the mouth of Mary served the Eternal in Her womb, the Son of God. For Elizabeth was then filled with the Spirit, when the child leaped in the womb; If the baby hadn't leaped up, she wouldn't have prophesied. As it is said of the prophets that they first came to a supernatural state and were inspired, and then prophesied, so perhaps John, as if inspired, first leaped up, then prophesied through the mouth of his mother. What did he prophesy? "Blessed art Thou among women." Then, since many holy women bore unworthy children, for example, Rebekah Esau, he says: "And blessed is the fruit of Thy womb." It can also be understood in another way: "Blessed art Thou among women." Then, as if someone were asking: why? - gives the reason: "Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb," that is, for the fruit of Thy womb is God, for God alone is blessed, as David also says; "Blessed is he who is coming" (Psalm 117:26). For in Scripture it is usual to use the conjunction "and" instead of the conjunction "for"; for example: "Give us help in distress, for the protection of men is vain" (Psalm 59:13), instead of: for the salvation of man is vain; and again: "Behold, Thou art angry, and we have sinned" (Isaiah 64:5), instead of: for we have sinned. - He calls the Lord the "fruit of the womb" of the Mother of God, because the conception was without a husband. The rest of the infants are the births of the fathers, but Christ is the fruit of one womb of the Mother of God, for She alone bore Him.

     And whence is it to me that the Mother of my Lord has come to me? For when the voice of Thy greeting came to my ears, the babe leaped with joy in my womb. And blessed is she who believes, for what was spoken to her from the Lord will be fulfilled.