'Ave, Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum ...'
‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.’ God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city of Galilee, to a virgin betrothed to a man Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. He said to her, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” (Lk 1:28) Greatly troubled, the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (Lk 1:30).
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, ... shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, ‘will be called the Son of the Most high; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end’.” (Lk 1:31-3)
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no husband?” (Lk 1:34) The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God. Behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Mary answered, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:35-8). And the angel left.
Election of the Blessed Virgin
One man alone has the power of choosing his mother: the Man God, Jesus, our Saviour. Eternal according to His divine nature, he chose from all eternity, Mary who was to be the Mother of His human nature. His choice is the daughter of Joachim and Anne, of the royal blood of David, and of the priestly line of Aaron.
This divine preference made Mary the most excellent and happiest of all creatures. Let us rejoice in the Incarnate Word’s election of the Blessed Virgin. Even more since, by this Word’s gift, Mary has become our own Mother. However, always remember, as children of that holy and perfect Mother, we must strive for sanctity and perfection.
“God does not leave His works incomplete. He always proportions His graces and privileges to the dignity to which he pleases to call His creature, so it may worthily fulfill its obligation.” (St Thomas) Calling the Virgin Mary to the greatest dignity a human creature can be raised, He gave her extraordinary and exceptional graces --
1) preserved from original sin; 2) confirmed in grace, her soul was never tarnished by the least actual sin; 3) the joys of maternity with the glory of virginity; 4) endowed with plenitude of gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit from the instant of her existence; and 5) the use of reason from her conception, thus always loving her God and increasing her merits.
From birth, Our Lady’s life was a continual preparation for the Incarnation. She had great control over all her senses and the acts of her heart, although exempt from disorderly passions. She retired from the world; kept solitude, silence, and recollection by continual prayer and meditation; and ardently desired to see the Saviour of the world.
God of love and mercy, help us to follow the example of Mary, ever ready to do your will.
Ref: cf Practical Meditations by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, p801
‘Mother of the Word Incarnate. Pray for us.’
Pope Paul VI, A Great Mariologist
“Devotion to the Mother of the Lord becomes for the faithful an opportunity for growing in divine grace ... For it is impossible to honor her who is ‘full of grace’ without thereby honoring in oneself the state of grace, friendship with God, communion with Him and indwelling of the Holy Spirit ...
"Mary shows forth the victory of hope over anguish, fellowship over solitude, peace over anxiety, joy and beauty over boredom and disgust, eternal vision over earthly ones, life over death.
“Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is an indication of the Church’s genuine piety. This devotion fits into the only worship that is rightly called ‘Christian’ because it takes its origin and effectiveness from Christ, finds its complete expression in Christ, and leads through Christ in the Spirit to the Father.
“The Blessed Virgin’s exemplary holiness encourages the faithful to ‘raise their eyes to Mary as a model of the virtues’. ... faith and docile acceptance of the Word of God; generous obedience; genuine humility; solicitous charity; profound wisdom; worship of God.”
Ref: Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation, “Marialis Cultus”, 2 February 1974. In Rev Joseph A Viano, SSP, Two Months with Mary, 20
ADVENT: A Call to Be at Peace with God
What does Advent mean? Advent is discovery of a great aspiration of men and women and peoples toward the house of the Lord.
The Lord is ‘the God of peace’, He is the God of the Alliance with mankind. When, during the night at Bethlehem, poor shepherds will set off to walk to the stable where shall be accomplished the first coming of the Son of Man, the song of the angels will lead them, “Peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests” (Lk 2:14).
This vision of the divine peace belongs to all the Messianic expectation in the old Alliance. “One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” (Is 2:4-5). Advent brings the ‘invitation to the peace of God’ for all mankind.
It is necessary for us to construct this peace and continually reconstruct it in ourselves and with others; in families, in relations with neighbors, in workplaces, in the life of the whole of society.
To serve such peace with manifold dimensions, there is need to listen to these words of the prophet as well: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain ... that He may instruct us in His ways, for from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Is 2:3)
Ref: cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, 1984, 18-9
The Abbey of Our Lady of Molême, of the order of St Benedict, in the diocese of Langres, was founded on this day, in the year 1075, by St Robert, who was its abbot. — Gallia Christiana, t. iv. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; http://www.bethlehemobserver.com); (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm).
Our Lady of Molême, France (1075). (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html).
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