God would not take flesh in Mary's womb
without her consent. The Angel, after giving his
message, awaited her reply. No false humility prevented Mary from obeying the mandate: no self-
consciousness made her shrink back. In words
which are a model of obedience and prudence and
forgetfulness of self, she accepted the Divine
Maternity: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be
it done to me according to Thy Word.
One thing only was present to Mary's mind
when she spoke these words, the wish to do exactly
what God desired of her. This is the secret of all
true virtue--to make His will the motive and the
guiding principle of every action we do. If we do
this, we shall soon be saints.
When Mary spoke these words an event took
place which seems incredible. The Infinite God
became of the same nature with one of His finite
creatures. The union between Mary and her God
became the most intimate possible to any created
being. God became flesh of her flesh and bone of
her bone. What must have been the more than
angelic purity of her nature before her God came
to dwell with her! What must have been her
almost infinite dignity after He had taken flesh in
her sacred womb!
For the Heaven He left,
He found Heaven in thee,
And He shone in thy shining,
Sweet Star of the Sea!