"When the angel says to Mary “you are highly favored,” he is saying, “You are uniquely privileged.” Mary carried the life of God within her. She was highly favored because she was the one by whom the Son of God was born into the world. God did not chose the daughter of a king or a high priest or the chief rabbis of Jerusalem, He chose Mary because of her simple faith and ultimate trust in God. You may say, “That is marvelous for Mary, but what in the world does it have to do with my life today'?”