MARY FULL OF GRACE

Merciful Father, as you have sent the Holy Spirit on Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, to write all that You wished and wanted, we pray You, send the same Holy Spirit on us, so that we may understand, appreciate Your Word, and make it our plan of life. This we ask for the merits of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

55 … The Fathers of the Church have more to say about ‘Mary’ about ‘The Full of Grace’. They see in Mary the second Eve, coming out, being born from the hands of God. They look upon Mary as being more exalted, more important than Eve, because they saw in the Blessed Virgin that:

‘she who grew stronger in the grace which she had initially received, did not simply ignore the promptings of the serpent, but with the help of God she crushed his might, once and for all.’

In their Commentary, the Holy Fathers quote the Prophets praising Holy Mary as bein:

“The spotless Dove” (S of S 2, 10.14; 4,1; 5,2) “Holy Jerusalem” (Ps.87) “The High Throne of God” (Sir. 24,4) “The Blessed Ark” (Ex.25,10) “The House, which Wisdom built for Himself” (Prov. 9,1) “The Queen, full of Heavenly Joy, resting on her beloved”. (S of S. 8,5)

Immaculate Conception means that Mary did not need Christ’s Redemption. Undoubtedly, St.Augustine realized that the dignity of Mary as the Mother of a Son, All Holy, needed absolute chastity, purity and extraordinary holiness. In his controversy with Pelagius, he insistedly declared:

‘We have to make an exception for the Blessed Virgin Mary, because of the honour of her Son, He did not want Mary to be mentioned in connection to any guilt’ (De Natura et Gratia, 42) /56

Certain Information taken, with kind permission, from the book “Who is Mary” by H.G.Mons. Sylvester Magro ofm, Bishop of Benghazi. A very dear friend.