The most sublime of Mary’s privileges is
her Divine Maternity. Without that Maternity,
her other privileges would not exist; she herself would not exist, for she was created
only to be the Mother of God.
Mary’s Divine
Maternity is great also because this privilege is the reason for her other privileges
– her Immaculate Conception, miraculous virginity, fullness of grace, Assumption, and
the spiritual maternity of all mankind. The
Divine Maternity explains everything in her; without this Maternity nothing in Mary can be
explained.
In her teaching
concerning the union of the human and the Divine natures in Christ the church states that
Jesus Christ is God and Man, perfect God and perfect Man, and that this Divinity and
Humanity are united in only one Person so that the actions of the Divine Nature or the
Human nature are the actions of one person, the Divine Person.
Since God was born of
Mary, she is the Mother of God. If we could
not say that she is the Mother of God for having given a body to the Son of God, then
neither could we adore this Body; nor would we have been redeemed by the sacrifice of this
Body on the Cross; nor would we be united to the Divinity in receiving this Body in the
Eucharist.
Mary’s Divine
Maternity is such a sublime privilege that no creature, not even Mary herself, can
understand it fully. To understand her
dignity as Mother of God in all its fullness, we would have to understand fully the
dignity of the Son of God whose Mother she is.
The dignity of the Divine
Maternity raises Mary above all the rest of creation.
As Mother of God she surpasses, in an immeasurable degree, all other
creatures, Angels, and men. They are
God’s servants, but she is His Mother.
We have the sublime
dignity of being children of God by adoption; Jesus alone is His son by nature. But Mary is not the adoptive Mother of the Son of
God; she is His real Mother. We can lose our
Divine adoption, but Mary can never lose her Divine Maternity. God might have created a more beautiful world,
more perfect people, more marvelous spirits; He could not have made anything more
wonderful than a Mother of God.
Mary’s Divine
Maternity places her in a very wonderful relationship with the three Divine Persons. She is the loving daughter of the Father because,
before all creatures, she was predestined to be His daughter at the same moment that He
decreed the Incarnation of His son. He
bestowed marvelous privileges upon her and loved her more than all other creatures
together. As Mother of the Son of God, she
is associated with the Father in the generation of His Son.
With the Father she, too, can say: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased.”
Mary is the Mother of the
Son of God. She fulfills the duties and
enjoys the rights of a true mother. From her
own flesh and blood, she formed the Body of her Son.
She nourished him, clothed Him, educated Him.
She commanded Him and He
obeyed. How can we ever understand the great
love that bound their hearts together!
Mary is the spouse of the
Holy Spirit because according to the Gospel and the teaching of the Apostles’ Creed,
she conceived of the Holy Spirit the Son of God, made Man.
She is also called the temple of the Holy Spirit because, in virtue of her
Immaculate Conception and her fullness of grace, He dwells within her in a most singular
manner.
During all eternity it
will be one of our greatest joys to admire the infinite love of God for Mary whose Son he
willed to be, just as He is in all truth the Son of the Father. The Divine Maternity itself, more than any
particular privilege, is a mark of God’s unequalled love for Mary. We should rejoice with her in the happiness that
filled her heart because of such love. We
can ask Mary to pray to God that we return His love with some of the generosity and fervor
with which she loved Him.
“When the designated
time had come, God sent forth His Son born of a woman….so that we might receive our
status as adopted sons.”
(Gal
4:4-5)
“Shout for joy
….O daughter of Jerusalem!….the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your
midst.”
(Zep 3:14-15)
“The Word became
flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory: the glory of an only Son
coming from the Father, filled with enduring love.”
(Jn 1:14)
“Mary gave birth to
her first-born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger.”
(Lk 2:7)
Novena Prayer
I greet you, ever-blessed Virgin, Mother of
God, throne of grace, miracle of almighty power! I
greet you, sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity and Queen of the Universe, Mother of mercy
and refuge of sinners!
Most loving Mother,
attracted by your beauty and sweetness, and by your tender compassion, I confidently turn
to you, miserable as I am, and beg of you to obtain for me of your dear Son the favour I
request in this Novena:
(Mention your
request).
Obtain for me also, Queen of Heaven, the most
lively contrition for my many sins and the grace
to imitate closely those virtues which you practiced so faithfully, especially humility,
purity, and obedience. Above all, I beg you
to be my mother and protectress, to receive me into the number of your devoted children,
and to guide me from your high throne of glory.
Do not reject my
petitions, Mother of mercy! Have pity on me,
and do not abandon me during life or at the moment of my death.
Daughter of the Eternal
Father, Mother of the Eternal Son, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, Temple of the Adorable
Trinity, pray for me. Immaculate and tender
Heart of Mary, refuge of the needy and hope of sinners, filled with the most lively respect, love, and gratitude, I devote myself
forever to your service, and I offer you my heart with all that I am and all that belongs
to me.
Accept this offering , sweet Queen of
Heaven and Earth, and obtain for me of your dear Son, Jesus Christ, the favours I ask
through your intercession in this novena. Obtain
for me also a tender, generous, constant love of God, perfect submission to His adorable
will, the true spirit of a Christian, and the grace of final perseverance. Amen.
Consecration
Holiest Virgin, with all my heart I venerate
you above all the Angels and Saints in paradise as the Daughter of the Eternal Father, and
I consecrate to you my soul with all its powers.
Hail Mary, etc.
Holiest Virgin, with all my heart I venerate
you above all the Angels and Saints in paradise as the Mother of the only-begotten Son,
and I consecrate to you my body and all it senses. Hail
Mary, etc.
Holiest Virgin, with all
my heart I venerate you above all the Angels and Saints in paradise as the beloved Spouse
of the Holy Spirit, and I consecrate to you
my heart and all its affections, praying you to obtain for me from the Most Holy Trinity
all the graces I need for my salvation.
Hail
Mary, etc.
(Taken from: Treasury
of Novenas)
