Day 69: Born of the Virgin Mary

The Father's only Son, conceived as man in the womb of the Virgin Mary, is "Christ", that is to say, anointed by the Holy Spirit, from the beginning of his human existence, though the manifestation of this fact takes place only progressively: to the shepherds, to the magi, to John the Baptist, to the disciples. Thus the whole life of Jesus Christ will make manifest "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power." CCC 486

In today's reading, the Catechism covers what must have been stunning to Mary of Nazareth: the Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel of her being chosen to bear the true Son of God. How shocked she must have been by all this. As the Catechism Companion, Vol I notes:

Without Mary's yes, we would not have Christ Incarnate, the Messiah. God was not too proud to make salvation dependent upon the yes of a simple girl from Nazareth. We cannot be too proud to turn to her and learn from her. (p. 142)

For some Protestants, this all sounds perhaps a bit arrogant. As if God, the Supreme Being, was dependent upon the whims of a creation of His. Yet He is omniscient. He "created Mary for a particular mission and destination" and knew what her response would be to Archangel Gabriel. In that, her response, known as the Canticle of Mary, was undoubtedly inspired by the Holy Spirit:

 “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

     my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

 For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;

    behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.

 The Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name.

 His mercy is from age to age

    to those who fear him.

 He has shown might with his arm,

    dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.

 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones

    but lifted up the lowly.

 The hungry he has filled with good things;

    the rich he has sent away empty.

 He has helped Israel his servant,

    remembering his mercy,

 according to his promise to our fathers,

    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Luke 1:46-55)

What some forget is that even though God knew what Mary's response would be, she had free will and could have spurned what she was predestined for by saying no to Him. Fortunately, she didn't as God knew she wouldn't. Mary is the New Eve, who unlike the Old Eve freely gave her consent and obedience to God. By doing so, she "gave birth to the Son, who brought freedom and redemption to the world." From the moment that Christ was conceived in Mary, "the person in the womb of the Virgin Mary was fully God and fully man" (p. 142). Blessed Mary was thus made Theotokos or Mater Dei.

Finally, the Catechism makes this important note about Mary in this:

What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ. CCC 487

Annunciation by Armenian manuscript illuminator Toros Roslin, 13th century