As seen in the last post, the Fathers of the Church were not shy in extolling the dignity of Mary as the Mother of God and in so doing describing the graces poured out upon her by God. St. Epiphanius , writing in 374-377 A.D., described Mary as “full of grace in every respect”. St. Athanasius (296 – 373 A.D.) explained that she is called “full of grace, because, being filled with the Holy Spirit, she overflowed with all graces, and was overshadowed by the power of the Most High”. Gregory the Wonderworker wrote , “For the holy Virgin is in truth an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary”. St. Augustine tells us that “an abundance of grace was conferred on her, who merited to conceive and bear Him of whom we know that He was without sin.”
However, we must be clear that the privilege of being the Mother of Our Lord was not through any special effort or merit she may have in herself. Rather this special vocation was enabled by the grace God bestowed upon her. Through the grace of God alone, Mary merited that measure of purity and holiness which prepared her to be the mother of God.
When God calls someone to a special task or vocation, He provides the grace needed to fulfill the call. The grace bestowed on anyone is therefore commensurate with his or her dignity or office. Mary was called into a unique relationship with the Trinity; mother of the Son, daughter of the Father, and spouse of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the interior graces with which she was endowed corresponded to this triple relationship with the Three Persons of the Trinity.
As St. Thomas Aquinas points out, the more closely a person approaches a principle of any kind, the more the person participates in the effects flowing from the principle. Christ is the principle of grace. As God, He is the author of grace. As a man, He is the instrument of grace. Mary was the one person who was in closest relationship with Christ. He assumed His human nature from her. He took form in her womb, suckled at her breast, and was in all ways and manners her Son. She taught Him, nurtured Him, and loved Him as only a mother can. Her vocation was no small task. She was to be the mother of the Son of God Incarnate. She was to be mother to the Sovereign God of the Universe. Therefore, it is only logical that she would receive from Him a greater fullness of grace than any other person.
Grace is a fundamental principle of Christianity – in some ways one of the pillars on which all of Christianity rests. Since grace is such an important part of our discussion of Mary (and indeed the life of any Christian), I will use the next three posts to explore the principle of grace in more detail.
Following this brief detour, I will return to a deeper discussion of the role of God's grace in Mary's life.
Following this brief detour, I will return to a deeper discussion of the role of God's grace in Mary's life.
