Names in the Bible have meaning, reflecting parents’ hope for the child or a character trait. So, you may ask, “Why in Jesus’s day were so many girls named Mary which means bitterness or disappointment?”

At that time, there was expectation the Messiah would soon be born. Pregnant mothers hoped their baby would be a boy and the messiah.

Mary was a bitter disappointment to her family. Every time her name was called, she was reminded of that fact.

When Gabriel appeared to Mary greeting her with “Hail, thou art highly favored … blessed are thou among women,” it’s no wonder she was troubled.

Once Mary knows she has been called of God to be the mother of the Messiah, her perception of herself changed. She says in the Magnificat, “… henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48—KJV) “Blessed,” not bitter disappointment.

The literal translation of blessed is “kissed by God.” You can be kissed by God for the same Holy Spirit who placed the Seed of God in the womb of Mary, is the same Holy Spirit who will place the Seed of God in your heart if you say like Mary, “Be it unto me according to thy word.”