Mary, Our Mother Sctn.:

The Annunciation

Also See: Blessed Virgin Mary (Topic Page)

"And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." (Lk. 1:26-38)

"[The Blessed Virgin Mary] being obedient to His word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God." (St. Irenaeus, 2nd century A.D.)

"Mary's consent at the Annunciation and her motherhood stand at the very beginning of the mystery of life which Christ came to bestow on humanity (cf. Jn 10:10)." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)

"But observe, how the Angel has declared the whole Trinity to the Virgin, making mention of the Holy Spirit, the Power, and the Most High, for the Trinity its indivisible." (Greek Expositor, as quoted by St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church)

"The angel's Annunciation to Mary is framed by these reassuring words: 'Do not be afraid, Mary' and 'with God nothing will be impossible' (Lk 1:30, 37). The whole of the Virgin Mother's life is in fact pervaded by the certainty that God is near to her and that he accompanies her with his providential care." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)

"Some men will highly extol one thing, some another, in these words of the virgin [at the Annunciation]. One man, for example, her constancy, another her willingness of obedience; one man her not being tempted by the great and glorious promises of the great archangel; another, her self-command in not giving an instant assent, equally avoiding both the heedlessness of Eve and the disobedience of Zacharias. But to me the depth of her humility is an object no less worthy of admiration" (Greek Expositor, as quoted by St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church)

"It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, that we should always and in all places give thanks to thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: and that we should praise, bless and glorify thee, on the Annunciation of the blessed Mary, ever a virgin, who by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, conceived thy only begotten Son, and the glory of her virginity still remaining, brought forth to the world the eternal Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. By whom the angels praise thy majesty, the dominations adore it, the powers tremble before it; the heavens and the heavenly virtues, and the blessed seraphim, with common jubilee glorify it. Together with whom we beseech thee that we may be admitted to join our humble voices saying: Holy! Holy! Holy!" (Preface)

"The eternal Son of God, when He wished to assume the nature of man for the redemption and glory of man, and for this reason was about to enter upon a kind of mystic marriage with the entire human race, did not do this before He received the wholly free consent of His designated mother, who, in a way, played the part of the human race itself, according to that famous and truthful opinion of Aquinas: 'Through the Annunciation the Virgin's consent was looked for in place of all human nature.' Therefore, no less truly and properly may it be affirmed that nothing at all of the very great treasure of every grace, which the Lord confers, since 'grace and truth came by Jesus Christ' [John 1:17], nothing is imparted to us except through Mary, God so willing; so, just as no one can approach the highest Father except through the Son, so no one can approach Christ except through His Mother." (Pope Leo XIII, "Octobri mense", 1891 A.D.)

"A Mother of God! It is the mystery whose fulfillment the world, without knowing it, was awaiting for four thousand years. It is the work which, in God's eyes, was incomparably greater than that of the creation of a million new worlds, for such a creation would cost him nothing; he has but to speak, and all whatsoever he wills is made. But that a creature should have become Mother of God, he has had not only to suspend the laws of nature by making a Virgin Mother, but also to put himself in a state of dependence upon the happy creature he chose for his Mother. He had to give her rights over himself, and contract the obligation of certain duties towards her. He had to make her his Mother, and himself her Son. It follows from all this, that the blessings of the Incarnation, for which we are indebted to the love wherewith the Divine Word loved us, may and ought to be referred, though in an inferior degree, to Mary herself. If she be the Mother of God, it is because she consented to it, for God vouchsafed not only to ask her consent, but moreover to make the coming of his Son into this world depend upon her giving it. As this his Son, the Eternal Word, spoke his Fiat over chaos, and the answer to his word was creation; so did Mary use the same word Fiat: let it be done unto me, she said. God heard her word, and immediately the Son of God descended into her virginal womb. After God, then, it is to Mary, his ever blessed Mother, that we are indebted for our Emmanuel." (Dom Gueranger)

Also See: Mary & Grace / Graces | Mary / Virginity | Mary's Virtues | Mary's Maternity [Pg.] | The Incarnation & Birth of Jesus | Praise of Mary

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The Incarnation & Birth of Jesus

Also See: Jesus (Topic Page)

"And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." (Lk. 1:26-38)

"And it came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David, To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. And it came to pass, that when they were there, her days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will. And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us. And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart." (Lk 2:1-19) [Note: The use of the term 'firstborn' does not mean that Mary had other children, which of course she didn't since she is an ever virgin. For more information on this topic, visit the Non-Catholics section.]

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (Jn. 1:14)

"Mary, Mother and Virgin, brings forth Him who made her."

"The Son of Mary is also the Son of God" (Dom Gueranger)

"The Virgin gave birth to God by the power of Him who is possessed of all power." (St. Celestine I, 430 A.D.)

"We unceasingly adore that birth from the Virgin who brought forth our salvation" (Pope St. Leo I the Great, Doctor of the Church, 5th century A.D.)

"She provided her very substance for his body, she offered him willingly for us" (Pope Pius XII)

"It was through the Virgin Mary that God assumed human nature and joined the race of the sons of Adam." (Pius XII)

"It was she who gave miraculous birth to Christ Our Lord, adorned already in her virginal womb with the dignity of the Head of the Church, and so brought forth the source of all heavenly life." (Pope Pius XII)

"The dew of heaven being sprinkled on thee, thou, without losing the flower of thy purity, didst in a new manner give to the world a new flower. The Word co-equal with the Father, entering thy virginal body, took for our sakes a body in the secret of thy womb." (Adam of St. Victor)

"['And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.' (Lk. 2:7)] Now here was no midwife, no tender anxiety of women; she wrapped the Child up in swaddling clothes, herself both mother and midwife." (St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church)

"But that generation, singularly wonderful and wonderfully singularly, is not to be understood as being, because of its newness, an entirely different kind. For fruitfulness was given to the Virgin by the Holy Spirit; but the genuinity of the body was taken from her body; and when Wisdom built Himself a house, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" (Pope St. Leo I the Great, Doctor of the Church, c. 449 A.D.)

"Believe that the Son of God, the eternal Word, who was begotten of the Father before all ages and without body, was in these later days for your sake also made Son of Man, born of the Virgin Mary ineffably and stainlessly (for nothing can be stained where God is, and by which salvation comes), in his own Person at once entire Man and perfect God." (St. Gregory of Nazianzen, Doctor of the Church, 4th century A.D.)

"But since it seems shocking or unworthy to some men that God should inhabit a body, is the Sun, I would ask, the heat whereof is felt by each body that receives its rays, at all sullied as to its natural purity? Much more then does the Sun of Righteousness, in taking upon Himself a most pure body from the Virgin's womb, escape not only defilement, but even show forth His own mother in greater holiness." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)

"He assumed within the virginal womb that too by which the Impassible was able to suffer, the Immortal was able to die, and by which He that was Eternal before the ages was able to be one who was temporal at the end of the ages, so that through an indescribable mystery, in a holy conception and in an inviolable birth, in accord with the realities of both natures, the same Virgin would be both handmaid of the Lord and His Mother also" (Pope St. Gregory I the Great, Doctor of the Church, 6th century A.D.)

"After this, we acknowledge the resurrection of the dead, of which Jesus Christ our Lord became the firstling; who bore a body not in appearance but in truth, derived from Mary the Mother of God; who for remission of sins came in the fullness of time to dwell among the race of men, was crucified and died, but did not, for all of that, suffer any diminution of His Godhead. He rose from the dead, was taken up to heaven, and sits to the right of the Majesty on high." (St. Alexander of Alexandria, c. 325 A.D.)

"And although He is in one way from the Father and in another way from the Virgin, nevertheless, He is not one person form the Father and another person from the Virgin; rather, He Himself who is eternal from the Father, is He Himself who is temporal from the Mother...He Himself who was before the ages from the Father without a mother is He Himself who at the end of the ages is from the mother and without a father. He Himself who is the Temple is He Himself who is the Builder of the Temple. He Himself who is the Author of the work is He Himself who is the work of the Author. Remaining from both and in both natures, He is neither the confused product of a coupling of natures nor a twined product by a distinction of natures." (Pope St. Gregory I the Great, Doctor of the Church, 6th century A.D.)

"I Believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God; Born of the Father before all ages; God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God; Begotten, not made; consubstantial with the Father; by Whom all things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven. And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary: and was made Man." (From the Nicene Creed, 4th Century A.D.)

Also See: The Annunciation | Mary As 'Tabernacle' | Mary's Maternity [Pg.] | Mary & Grace / Graces | Mary / Virginity | Mary's Virtues | Praise of Mary | The Flesh of Jesus is the Flesh of Mary | Jesus & Mary | Jesus and Mary / United | Catholic Basics Section

Note: Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more 'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.

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