Feast of the Divine Maternity of Our Lady

Source: FSSPX News

There is no greater dependence than that of a fetus in the womb on its mother. But when Mary became the Mother of God, she carried a fetus that is God Himself! He is tiny, infirm, and by His own will completely subject to His mother. The womb is the most dangerous place to be these days. More die in the womb than anywhere else. And yet the womb of Our Lady is the very safest place for Our Lord. St. Grignion writes: I give thee thanks for that Thou hast annihilated Thyself taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee for that Thou hast been pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy Mother, in all things.

Mother of God! What title is this? How is this possible? She alone was able to contain He Who formed the world. She alone was able to be the Virgo Dei Genetrix. Before she was Virgin, now she is a fruitful Virgin, a Virgin Mother. Just as she is the greatest of virgins in being the purest of them all, the first virgin and source of virginity, so too she is the greatest of Mothers in being a) Mother of God; b) Mother of the members of her Son’s Mystical Body. At the Assumption, she will be Queen. The Divine Maternity is a greater dignity than the priesthood in that it is greater to give Our Lord His human nature than to make Him present in the Eucharist.

Our Lord is not idle while there! No, He works there all the mysteries of His life to come. St. Louis states that the Incarnation is the greatest of the mysteries of Our Lord (True Devotion, §248), because:

  1. In it, He chose the elect, in union with Our Lady.
  2. In it, He worked all the mysteries of His life to come, by accepting them in Our Lady’s womb.
  3. It encapsulates all mysteries, as it contains the desire and grace for all of them.

In the Mass of the Immaculate Heart, the Introit invites us to approach the throne of grace. St. Louis explains that through her divine Motherhood Our Lady is this throne of grace, upon which Our Lord sits. For him, this mystery is the throne of God’s:

  1. Mercy – since we cannot approach Jesus but by Mary and Our Lord answers all requests made through Her.
  2. Liberality – Our Lord worked ineffable marvels while in His earthly paradise, Our Lady’s womb
  3. Glory – It was in Our Lady’s womb that Our Lord pacified the Father and gave Him an infinite glory that He had not yet received from man.

We have seen that in choosing to make Our Lady his own Mother, God placed Himself in dependence upon her. This dependence was shown in His asking her through an angel for permission to become incarnate in Her womb. It was shown in His making Himself helpless there and choosing to perform His first great works on this earth in Our Lady’s womb.

And so, if Our Lord chose to place Himself in total dependence upon Our Lady, so must we.