You see, Our Lady's FIAT means that God CAME INTO HER… And – because She consented to that – now, God CAN COME INTO ME TOO…
I have been meditating upon the words that Our Blessed Mother used in answering the angel Gabriel during the Annunciation, upon which we meditate in the first joyful mystery of the Most Blessed Rosary…
“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38).
Now, this is a very very small section of scripture. Tiny in fact. And yet, it is THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE EVER UTTERED (OR WILL EVER BE UTTERED) BY ANY CREATURE AT ANY TIME SINCE THE BEGINNING OF CREATION!
You see, without that single sentence, God Himself would have been unable to act to save us!
There is such a miracle – such a profound mystery – in realising that.
No wonder God considers HUMILITY the greatest of all the virtues! For He HIMSELF is the most humble of all beings!
Just imagine that scene of the annunciation. Just imagine God Himself waiting with the angels in Heaven for the Blessed Virgin to respond. I can imagine the baited breath of all of them, I can imagine the baited breath of all the souls waiting in limbo for salvation. I can imagine the RESPECT that God gave to His beloved Handmaid, Spouse and Mother… He waited for her to decide…
And I cannot hold back my tears when I realise that He, God of the Universe, offers to ME – worthless, sinful, insignificant me – that same respect. You see, He waits for me to decide too…
And while it is true that Our Blessed Mother was “FULL OF GRACE” (Luke 1:28, emphasis added) it is equally true that God gives each of us enough GRACE to become saints – it is up to US TO ACCEPT IT!
You see, God HIMSELF humbled HIMSELF to ask a young teenage girl for her consent to save humanity… And He HIMSELF waited for her reply…
And the Blessed Virgin was humble in return – because she is a REFLECTION of God her humility is a reflection of His humility…
Venerable Fulton Sheen said, “God who made the sun also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him she is nothing. With Him she is the Mother of all men.”
And I could spend eternity reflecting on the magnitude of that wonderous miracle! No wonder we have such RESPECT for Our Blessed Mother’s perfect acceptance of the Divine Will, which we call her FIAT! She simply ACCEPTED the Grace of God and in accepting that, she was able to do His Holy Will…
Blessed Mary of Jesus of Agreda wrote of the beauty of the Blessed Virgin due to her perfect FIAT in her text “The Mystical City of God” at page 15…
“I perceive the author of it (the Blessed Sacrament) is more admirable in her creation than in that of all the rest of the world, although the diversity of creatures manifests the wonderful power of their Creator. In this Queen is contained more treasures than in all the rest of things joined together, and the variety and preciousness of her riches honour the Lord above all multitudes of the other creatures.”
And I come to wonder – why is she so beautiful? What is it that the angels and the saints perceive in Our Blessed Mother?
And the answer is very simple… Saint John Vianney said, “Upon receiving the Blessed Sacrament, the adorable blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ really flows in our veins and His Flesh is really blended with ours.”
And Saint Louis de Montford said, “When the Holy Spirit finds Mary in a soul, He flies to it.”
And that – right there – is the beautiful magnificent glory of the Blessed Virgin’s FIAT…
You see, Our Lady's FIAT means that God CAME INTO HER… And – because She consented to that – now, God CAN COME INTO ME TOO…
And how could a soul such as mine ever thank my Blessed Mother for that?
For through her FIAT she allowed her God and master to SAVE THE WORLD…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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