Wednesday, May 02, 2007

May is the month of Mary


photograph courtesy of Henry shows the window above the Lady Chapel altar

Don Marco quotes Newman"Why is May chosen as the month in which we exercise a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin? The first reason is because it is the time when the earth bursts forth into its fresh foliage and its green grass after the stern frost and snow of winter, and the raw atmosphere and the wild wind and rain of the early spring. It is because the blossoms are upon the trees and the flowers are in the gardens. It is because the days have got long, and the sun rises early and sets late. For such gladness and joyousness of external Nature is a fit attendant on our devotion to her who is the Mystical Rose and the House of Gold."



And how right the dear Cardinal is; May is about fecundity, growth, beauty, new beginnings and hope.


In the Liturgy we are called to bow profoundly at the words, "Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: Et homo factus est", because she is the gateway, the channel of the incarnation. Through her the Eternal becomes mortal, the Unchangeable undergoes growth and maturation, the Omnipotent becomes a powerless child entirely dependant on human beings, the Transcendant becomes a tiny mewling babe, the Omniscient now becomes limited in his knowledge and in return experiences what God by His nature is incapable of experiencing, for he takes on even Death itself and descends into Hell.


Through her God becomes what God is not!


Through her God takes on what God is not!


Through her God destroys that which is not-God and Death and Hell, sin and diosobedience are no more.


Through her God steps into creation and creation is called to enter the Divine.


She is the Gateway of God's entry into the world, she is the breach in the natural order where the flood of Gace enters what is natural and transforms it into the Super-natural.




Through her fiat, her womb, her flesh, her genes, her matter God becomes Man and dwells amongst us, in some glorious way her "yes" to God becomes incarnate in her very being.


Why? Only because from the beginning she is "full of Grace", prepared by God to be Immaculate.

No comments:

The Lord’s descent into the underworld

At Matins/the Office of Readings on Holy Saturday the Church gives us this 'ancient homily', I find it incredibly moving, it is abou...