The angel Gabriel appears to Mary, telling her she will conceive and bear a son. He even tells her about who her son will be and what he will do. This is the same angel who appeared before the priest Zechariah, telling him about who his son (John the Baptist) will be and what he will do. In both episodes, Gabriel faces the confusion of others, yet in both episodes Gabriel is confident and assured.
We do not know if Gabriel was fully aware of the suffering that John the Baptist would endure, nor do we know if Gabriel was fully aware of the suffering that Jesus would endure. It is clear, though, that Gabriel is aware of the importance of both John and Jesus. Gabriel, as being one who stands before God, has a fuller perspective and understanding of John’s mission and Jesus’ victory. We can suppose that if Gabriel were told, “John will be the forerunner for the Son of God, but he’ll be beheaded”, Gabriel would not be less delighted about John and his work - because Gabriel can only see the suffering of John in the light of the “grand scheme”. And if Gabriel were aware of the suffering that Jesus would endure, Gabriel would not be less eager to deliver the message to Mary - because Gabriel could only see the suffering of Jesus in the light of his ultimate victory and glory. Sadness cannot overpower Gabriel because Gabriel stands before God. This strength is a blessing of the beatific vision.
We hope that we too will enjoy such a vision of God, standing before God, and seeing all things in the light of God’s saving work and glorious victory. When we see all things in that light, all the suffering of this earthly life will have its true meaning. Perhaps the suffering will appear more trivial than we could imagine. Perhaps the suffering will appear glorious to us. Who knows? What we know is that Jesus’ victory has the last word - and it is that last word that will color all memory and knowledge of suffering and evil.