"I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bride adorned with her jewels." - Introductory Antiphon for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
These words, taken from the Prophet Isaiah, are most appropriately applied to our Lady, who, "was redeemed from the moment of her conception (Catechism of the Catholic Church 491)." Her Divine Son, Jesus Christ, in the creation of her soul, endowed her with every blessing, so that she may possess, "The 'splendor of an entirely unique holiness (CCC 492).'" Of all God's creation, Mary is the most glorious work. In the order of nature, she is lower than the angels, yet by the supernatural grace of God, she has been exalted above them to the pinnacle of the glory which a creature can attain.
For this reason, the words of the Psalm of the Prophet Isaiah, used for the Introductory Antiphon of the Mass of the Immaculate Conception may be most appropriately applied to our Lady. God is truly the joy of her soul, for He dwells in her most perfectly. Mary, throughout her life, by a singular grace of God, perfectly reflected the image of God present in humans. From the first moment of her existence she was clothed with, "a robe of salvation," namely the grace of being preserved from the taint of Original Sin, through the Redemption won by Christ her Divine Son on the Cross. The, "mantle of justice," she wears is the perfection of virtues within her; within her soul there is no vice presence. Rather, she was always whole in her virtue and, thus, she was completely righteous and just before God.
For the above mentioned reasons, Mary is compared to, "a bride adorned with her jewels." There is no day that a woman wishes to be more beautiful than on her wedding day. However, it is not just through makeup and a white dress that she looks for this beauty, but she wishes to compliment her natural beauty and the beauty of the dress through the accessories of jewelry. Mary may be likened unto this, even though as a poor Israelite it is unlikely she was ever decked in jewels in her natural life. However, in regard to her soul, it was decked with the finest jewels God could provide, i.e. supernatural virtues.
We must now, in this regard make differentiation between grace and nature, something St. Thomas Aquinas was always most careful in doing, for our correct understanding of the Faith can rest upon these distinctions. Nature is what a creature possesses in itself and can do on its own power, given it by God at creation. Thus, to exercise prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude do not necessarily require a supernatural grace for God, for men possess this ability in themselves, by the nature God has given to them. To contemplate God is something man can do on his own power, but to believe in the Triune God and contemplate God in His Inner Nature may only come through a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit, and therefore surpasses nature. The great axiom in regards to this is, "Gratia non destruit naturam sed perficit - Grace does not destroy nature, it perfects it."
Through this principle we must see that Mary was not in any way less human because of God's working in her; she was not made something higher than a human, rather her humanity was perfected through the supernatural grace of God. She was raised to a supreme dignity through grace, second only to the dignity of God Himself.
In this manner, then, Mary is said to be decked with jewels, for while on earth she possessed, from the first moment of her conception, the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity to the fullest degree she was capable, and now in Heaven possesses the virtue of love of God, and consequently, participates in the Divine Life of the Trinity, in a way surpassing all others of God's creation. Her possession of faith, hope, and charity truly complemented the beauty of her soul. Let us consider this briefly.
In regards to faith, Mary was never hesitating in her belief in God, nor His ability to accomplish His word. When we are first presented with the woman, who is hailed as, "full of grace (Luke 1:28)," she does not doubt for an instant that God will make her mother, without in any way violating the purity of her virginity. Mary already knew and believed the truth spoken by the angel Gabriel, "With God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37)," and was thus able to commit herself fully to God with the words, "Ecce ancilla Domini, fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. - Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38)."
But our contemplation of Mary's faith cannot be limited to the Annunciation, for it is presented to us throughout her earthly life. She did not hesitate to flee with Joseph and the child Jesus into Egypt when Herod killed all the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13-15), nor did she hesitate to implore her Son to work His first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana, and she did not doubt He would grant her request (John 2:1-5). Even when it came to His Passion, she did not implore Him to end His, and her, sufferings, but instead trusted in the Divine plan. Indeed she stood at the foot of the Cross (John 19:25)! By Tradition we are also told that from His death until His Resurrection, the Church was kept alive solely in the heart of Mary, who alone kept faith in the salvation promised by God. Finally, it was Mary who nourished the faith of the early Church (Acts 1:14), until she was assumed into Heaven, where she now sees God face to face.
Now in regards to hope, Mary is no less beautiful. Why did she willingly suffer all that she did, especially in the participation with the Passion of her Divine Son? The answer is simple: she believed it would bring about the salvation of the world, but also her salvation, even though she was conceived without sin. We must not forget, it was only on account of the saving death of her Son that she was able to be cleansed from sin from the first moment of her conception. Her hope was entirely placed in God, as she sings in her Magnificat, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Luke 1:47, emphasis added)." She trusted fully that nothing, not even death, would thwart the promise that her Son, Jesus, was, "set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against," and that a sword would pierce her soul as well (Luke 2:34-35), i.e. that He was the, "horn of salvation," for Israel (Luke 1:69).
In her hope Mary also offers us a model since it was on account of the virtue of hope, which she was so magnificently graced with, that she was able to suffer perfectly in accord with Jesus. As I said, she was united completely with the suffering of Christ, which was the means through which our salvation came about. To the extent that her sufferings were united to the suffering of Christ, she was graced with the fruits of the Redemption. Of course, Mary was perfectly united, and was consequently perfectly graced with the highest graces of Redemption. This applies to us as well; to the extent that we unite our sufferings to Christ, we will share in the fruits of redemption, as our Lady does.
The crowing jewel of Mary's soul, however, was her charity. Attestations to this are found throughout the Gospels and the Tradition of the Church. Immediately after the Annunciation, we have the relation of her going to assist Elizabeth in her pregnancy (Luke 1:39-40, 56). Even though she had just been informed that she was to be the mother of God, her thoughts went to charity towards another. The same can be said for her attention at the Wedding Feast of Cana, where she feared the spouses would be embarrassed by the lack of wine, and therefore requested Jesus' intervention (John 2:1-11).
Her love of God continued throughout her life. She was always near her Son in his travels (John 2:12; Luke 8:19). When she was separated from Him she was greatly distressed (Luke 2:48); spiritual union was not enough for her. Nevertheless, her love for Jesus, induced her to consent to spend years with St. John the Apostle after the Ascension of Jesus to care for the infant Church.
This love has not ceased now that she is in eternal glory, for charity remains (1 Corinthians 13:13). Faith and hope are not in Heaven, for we see face to face and have achieved our rest, but love for God is perfect there and without end. And through this love for the Trinity, we love all God's creation. Thus, because Mary possesses the greatest love for God of all creation, she also possesses the greatest love for all creation. Let us take refuge in under the mantle of Immaculate Mary then, for of all the advocates we have before God, none can equal the splendid glory of Mary in the jeweled dress of her love.
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