Some thoughts on Mary the Mother of God from Blessed Columba Marmion…
“But who in particular would God ask to give birth to that human nature He wished to unite to Himself so closely, in order to make it the instrument of His graces to the world?
We have already given the name of that creature, whom all generations would proclaim as “blessed.” The human genealogy of Jesus climaxes with Mary, the virgin of Nazareth. To her, and through her to us, the Word asked for a human nature, and Mary gave it to Him. That is why thereafter we will see her as inseparable from Jesus and His mysteries. Wherever Jesus is, we will see her. He is her Son as much as He is the Son of God.”
Let us imagine ourselves at Nazareth. The “fullness of time” had come, says St. Paul, when God had determined to send His Son into the world, by making Him be born there, “born of a woman.” The angel Gabriel, messenger of God, brought heaven’s proposals to the young virgin. A sublime conversation began, in which the rescue of the human race was to be decided. The angel starts by giving the virgin a salutation proclaiming her, on behalf of God, “full of grace.” And, indeed, not only is she immaculate, no stain upon her soul-the Church has defined that, alone of all creatures, she has been untouched by original sin-but as well as this, because she has been predestined to be the mother of His Son, the Heavenly Father has showered His gifts upon her. She is “full of grace”-not indeed as Christ will be is “full of grace”; for He is this by right, and his fullness is of the divine fullness itself. Mary receives everything by way of participation, but to a measureless extent, one that correlates with the utterly surpassing office and dignity of being Mother of God.
“Behold,” says the angel, “you shall conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall give Him the name ‘Jesus,’ Savior… He shall be called the Son of the Most High… and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” “How shall this come about,” replies Mary, “seeing that I am a virgin.” (For she wishes to keep her virginity.) The Holy Spirit shall come upon you. And the power of the Most High shall overshadow you; and that is why the Holy One, the fruit of your womb, shall be called Son of God.” “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” is Mary’s answer, “be it done to me as you say.”
At that solemn moment, the exchange is concluded. When Mary uttered that Fiat of hers, that “Let it be done to me,” the whole of humanity had said to God, through her voice: Yes, O God, I accept: let it be so! And immediately, “the Word was made flesh.” At that instant, the Word became incarnate within her by the operation of the Holy Spirit: Mary’s womb became the Ark of the New Covenant between God and man.”
“Human love, first. God is Love; and, so that we may have some idea of this Love, He gives a sharing in it to mothers. The heart of a mother, with her untiring tenderness, with the constancy of her solicitude, the inexhaustible delicacy of her affection, is a truly divine creation, although God has placed in it no more than a spark of His Love for us. Yet, imperfectly as the heart of a mother reflects the Love that He has for us, God gives us our mothers so that the love of a mother in some way represents it before us. He places our mothers at our side, from the cradle onwards, to guide us, to guard us, especially in those first years during which we need tenderness so much.
Going on from that, imagine the fondness with which the Holy Trinity fashioned the heart of the virgin chosen above all others to be the mother of the Word Incarnate. It pleased God to pour love into her heart, in forming it expressly to love this One who would be the God-made-man.
In the heart of Mary, the adoration of a creature towards her God was joined, in perfect harmony, with the love of a mother for her only Son.”
Columba Marmion. Christ in His Mysteries. Trans. Alan Bancroft. Zaccheus Press, Bethesda, 2008. p177-179, 181-182.