re what was the immaculate conception joe buehler writes there are various explanations for her reaction to the angel s greeting one is that she grasped what the angel was getting at that she was to be the mother of the messiah and knew what this entailed all the suffering this gave her a moment s pause a priest i know gave me an interesting explanation he said that the words of mary point not to doubt or troubled thoughts but rather to complete humbleness those who are humble and do not revel in themselves frequently are confused when given high praise about themselves as mary would rightly be
