There is also a legend that Mary was not the first young woman to whom the angel came. But she was the first one to say yes.

And how unsurprising it would be for a fourteen-year-old girl to refuse the angel. To be disbelieving. Or to say: “Are you sure you mean—but I’m unworthy—I couldn’t anyhow—I’d be afraid. No, no, it’s inconceivable, you can’t be asking me—I know it’s a great honour but wouldn’t it upset them all, both our families? They’re very proper, you see.

from And It Was Good: Reflections on Beginnings