The Mother of God and the Mystery of the Incarnation: She Who Is Full of Grace, Holy Ark, and New Eve

The more I have fallen in love with the incarnation, the closer I have become to the Holy Mother of God, the Woman, full of grace, who was blessed to carry the Lord of the universe in her womb. I cannot look at salvation’s story without being overwhelmed at our Lady’s perfect place within God’s plan. I have studied the great commentaries about Mary from scholars ancient and new; and though I have grown in knowledge about her role in redemption, I cannot help but see her through a poet’s eyes. Mary has shown me through her words and actions what the coming of Christ into the world truly means for those who choose to follow the way of the cross.

I have many Protestant friends who see Mary as nothing more than a Jewish peasant girl, chosen by God to bear the Messiah, and then relegated to the role of humble follower – a righteous incubator for the Christ child, a loving mother, and a faithful disciple – but nothing more. While they may recoil at the thought of giving her any honor greater than this – for that would take away from Jesus, they say – I am lifted up to a higher place through her grace-filled life and drawn ever closer to Jesus because of who she is. Her life is a sweet refrain, a beautiful melody of submission and praise that carries us through the Advent mystery of her Son’s coming into the world.

I would like to offer a few simple poetic reflections on Mary’s life. In doing so, I hope to point the reader to the indescribable joy of the incarnation that reveals itself to us through Christmas. As I honor her with my words, I pray that we all will be led to our knees in worship of the Word made flesh, the God who came to earth to pitch his tent among humanity and save us from our sin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Holy Vessel, Overshadowed

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:26-28)

It had been six months since Elizabeth, she who was barren, had conceived in her womb the one who would come in the spirit of Elijah to herald the coming of the Messiah. The angel Gabriel, sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, entered the home of a virgin, betrothed to a man named Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary.

Here was the messenger from the Book of Daniel, the one who had made the prophet fall with his face to the ground, the warrior who stood against the Prince of Persia for 21 days. He was the angel who stood before God, sent to deliver a message of Good News to Zechariah, the priest made deaf and dumb for his doubt about the miracle of his son’s birth. And now this mighty one had come to announce the Messiah’s coming into the world.

The angel Gabriel appeared before the virgin, his countenance both glorious and overwhelming, speaking words that penetrated the soul of Mary. His greeting, “Hail, Full of Grace! The Lord is with you!” revealed a mystery too wondrous for words. Mary was one whom God had fully graced from eternity. She was the Woman chosen to bear the One who would crush the head of the serpent forever. Into her life God had poured out the fullness of his favor, to prepare her body and her heart to serve as the new Ark of the Covenant, the vessel to carry the very presence of God!

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great, and 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 for ever;

and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

The lowly virgin, descended from the royal line of David, yet humble of heart, did not beam with pride at the angel’s “Ave,” but swooned in reverent fear, awed that such a greeting should reach her ears. She did not tremble at the vision before her, but rather, became troubled at the words the angel spoke. She who had made a sacred vow of virginity would indeed give birth to the Holy One of God. Yet how would this be? In her heart burned the fire of expectancy; and she longed with all her being to know the manner in which the message would be fulfilled.

Before her mind could comprehend, she was brought to her knees in reverent joy as she opened her heart to the word of God and let the weight of this salutation sink deeply within her soul. She who knew the prophecies concerning the coming of God’s Anointed, contemplated what was possible, and such knowledge gave her holy pause. And in that holy pause the angel spoke peace into her heart, replacing her name with a holy title – She Who Is Full of Grace.

Mary would forever be blessed among women; for in her womb, she would bear Emmanuel, God among men. She who had waited with the People of God in eager anticipation for the coming of the Savior stood but a breath away from the moment of his conception. Like Eve, she was to become the mother of all the living, in bearing the One who would draw all men to himself. Her Son would be seated on the throne of David his father, forever established to rule over the House of Jacob in eternal presence and power, the Sovereign Lord of the Kingdom without end.

Her “How Will This Be?” Becomes her “Let it Be!”

 And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;

therefore the child to be born[h] will be called holy,

the Son of God.

And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:34-38)

Mary listened, her heart beating with hope, her mind and her soul drawing near to the promise of the ages unfolding before her. She who had pledged her whole being in purity as a covenant of love to Almighty God desired in earnest to know the way in which the angel’s word would be fulfilled, that she might in humble obedience submit to it. And so the angel spoke further. The Holy Spirit was to come upon her, so that the child to be conceived would be the Son of God. The power of the Most High would overshadow Mary in mystery and majesty. As Almighty God hovered above the waters at creation and descended upon the holy tabernacle in the wilderness, and as the wedding tent overshadowed the bridal couple, so would the Holy Spirit spread his sacred bridal cloak upon this daughter of David so that the seed of the woman would bring forth the Son of God.

A sacred sign was given, a blessed seal upon this holy event. Her kinswoman, Elizabeth, was to have a son. She, who was a daughter of the house of Aaron, yet related also to the house of David, would bear in her body the one who would offer witness to the priestly and kingly roles of the One to come. Though childless and advanced in years, barren and beyond all earthly hope of conceiving, Our Lady’s cousin was now in her sixth month. Like the women of old, Elizabeth was given the strength to conceive through the power of the One who is above nature. The birth of her son would point the way to the coming of the Christ child, who would enter the realm of humanity in a miraculous way.

As Mary took in the words of the holy messenger, she knew the power and the truth within them. There was no hesitation, no questioning or doubt. All that was left was to surrender in total obedience, to present herself ready to act upon the word proclaimed. She was the handmaid of the Lord, the submissive servant, desirous to do the will of the Father, to become the Mother of all the Living in becoming the Mother of the Word made flesh.

The New Ark Revealed

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:39-45)

Now awakened to new hope by the message of the Good News, Mary arose and made haste to the hills of Judea, to the home of Zechariah, and once there, greeted Elizabeth. While her husband, Zechariah, was deaf and dumb, closed off to the full significance of the promise, Elizabeth stood ready to receive the blessing of the salutation her kinswoman now spoke. At Mary’s greeting, resounding joy flooded Elizabeth’s very being, and from within her womb, the child – the forerunner of the Messiah – gave his first notice of the One who would come after him, yet was before him. Like David before the Ark, he leapt for joy, stirred to rapture in the presence of the Lamb of God, now present in Mary, his mother, the new Ark of the Covenant.

Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied aloud, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Like Ruth, whose apron carried the overflowing six-fold measurement of blessing from Boaz, the mother of the Lord carried within her womb the One who was blessed six-fold with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Here was Mary, blessed to believe as all those things spoken to her were coming to fruition. Like David, who felt unworthy to receive the Ark, Elizabeth stood in awe that the Mother of the Lord, this new holy vessel of love, should come to her. Like the priests declaring their praises before the Ark, Elizabeth, with her voice, proclaimed a liturgical blessing before the presence of God moving among men in the womb of Mary, more blessed than all other women.

A Song of Praise to Magnify the Lord

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is on those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm,

he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,

he has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and exalted those of low degree;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent empty away.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home. (Luke 1:46-56)

Such wondrous words looked back into the past: to the holy women blessed by God to share in salvation’s plan, to the Psalms of David that sung of the struggle to walk in the ways of faith, to the mighty acts of power of the Lord of Hosts, and even to the very promises given to Abraham in the beginning. And yet, these profound verses also looked forward into the future: to the One who would perform mighty signs in the Kingdom, confound the proud in their thinking, and feed the poor in spirit with bread and the Bread of Life. Our Lady cherished the One within her womb whose life and death and rising would one day topple worldly rulers from their earthly thrones and reveal God’s mercy and judgment at the End of Days.

With these profound verses, this young mother put into a tender song of self-surrender all that God had ordained and would bring to fulfillment in the child who now grew within her womb. Now was the time for the fulfillment of the God’s holy word. Now was the time for the Incarnation of the Son of God!

The Birth and the Blessings of Grace

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirin′i-us was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7)

It was a quiet night, a solemn night, a night of wonder and blessings. Upon a nation in darkness a light had come to shine. The advent of a new dawn was about to burst forth upon a waiting world. The hour for the birth of the Christ child had come.

In the fullness of time, God sent into this world One born of the Woman, born under the law, to deliver those under the law, in order that we might receive our adoption as sons and daughters of the Kingdom.

There was no other time such as this, when all the world was united under a common language, connected by vast routes of trade, free from war, subject to the rule of an empire that had conquered the nations and brought an earthly peace. And yet, no other time saw mankind so steeped in sin, deceived, depraved, and ensnared by the lies of the devil. The people of God had lost their way and adulterated their worship and their laws with the trappings of worldliness. Eyes had been made blind, ears made deaf, hearts made callous and cold as stone. Still, in this blackest of nights there were those who waited in the darkness with hope in their hearts, who looked with faith to the promises of God, whose lives were open to the Advent of the child who would be called: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father Forever, Prince of Peace.”

God raised up a worldly ruler to fulfill His prophecy that the Messiah should be born in Bethlehem, the House of Bread, the city of David the shepherd. Thus did Caesar issue a decree that the whole Roman world should be registered. He desired that all should pledge their loyalty to him; but into this world came the One who would draw all men to himself.

And so Joseph with Mary, the young mother who was great with child, made their way from the city of Nazareth where they now lived, to the ancestral home of King David, to whose family line both Mary and Joseph belonged. The journey was long and difficult, and Mary’s time was almost complete. It was not to David’s royal city that they journeyed, but to the town of his humble birth, the least among the provinces of Judah, where the Messiah would enter life in poverty and obscurity. It was not within the walls of a regal palace or into a life of privilege and power that the Savior was to be born, but in the lowly stable of a simple dwelling.

The curse of painful childbirth placed upon Eve, gave way to the peaceful nativity of the One who would come to crush the head of the Serpent by offering his life for the sins of the world one day on the Tree of Life atop Calvary’s hill. The young mother, nursing her infant Son, praised the God of eternity with a quiet lullaby. She who had waited for the coming of God’s Son, now cradled the One who had waited throughout salvation history for this holy woman’s arms.

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:8-20)

He was placed at His birth, not in a bed of gold, but in a bed of straw. In the feeding trough for the animals was the One who would feed all humanity with his flesh and blood. His first witnesses were not the nobles from the court of King Herod, or the High Priest and Sanhedrin of the temple of Jerusalem, but the outcasts of society, the humble shepherds, keeping watch by night in the fields with their sheep. To them the angel proclaimed the glad tidings of great joy. Their fear had given way to faith. The shadowy fields now shown with the glory of God as a heavenly host of angels sang a chorus of praise and peace.

The ones rejected by world as unclean now carried the heavenly blessing with them as they made their way in haste to the familiar place where this new Good Shepherd now slept, wrapped in the bands of humanity, with his mother before him. As Mary witnessed the remarkable manifestation of God’s goodness to her in providing a manger throne for her Son and in sending the shepherds to bear witness to the One who would shepherd his people, she took in all these events and pondered them in her heart. She locked these experiences, her thoughts, and the prayers that sprung up from the wellspring of her sinless soul, all within the treasure box of her humble and pure heart.

That Solemn First Christmas

For now the little child rests in the arms of His mother. For now all is peace. For now, it is the angels, the simple shepherds, and soon the wise men of the East who are His witnesses. One day, the whole world shall know. One day every knee shall bow and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced. But on this holy night we remember.

We remember how God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him might not perish but have eternal life. It is a great mystery, one we often take for granted; but it is the most profound of all truths – that the Great Son of God, the Second Person of the blessed Trinity, should come to earth and take on our human nature in order that we might receive the forgiveness we did not deserve. That the Messiah should enter this life as a helpless babe, that He should live among us as a man, that He should shepherd His flock with such sacrificial love, is unfathomable. He is our Messiah and King. He is the Bread of Life. He is the Savior who came to earth on that solemn day so long ago. And He is the One who will come again in glory and power to judge the living and the dead. But for now, we witness and we keep watch over the little child.

Our Lady rests in the darkness and ponders the mystery of the incarnation within her heart. In days to come she will stand with her Son, the new Adam, and assume her role as the new Eve, The Woman who whose words at the wedding feast at Cana will be, “Do whatever he tells you.” will follow her Son to the cross, where the sword of sorrow will pierce her heart as she watches Jesus give his life for the world. As the disciple John will be given to our Lady and take her into his home, so will the Church be given to our Blessed Mother, and dwell with her as the family of God, awaiting the day when the Bride of Christ will be brought to the great Wedding Feast to come.

For now the holy child sleeps in peace. For now, his holy mother worships the infant Messiah with a tender kiss. May the wonder in her heart inspire us to cherish our Lord’s coming. Let us celebrate His birth into our world and into our hearts at Christmas. May we never forget this great act of love, and the blessed virgin whose “Let it be!” and life of grace-filled submission has taught us to give our lives to her Son.

Blessed Christmas!