The Blessed Mother and Advent Part 1

by Carl E. Olson

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee"

An advent is a coming; it literally means "to come to." The season of Advent anticipates the coming–or comings–of the Son: in his Incarnation two thousand years ago, in his future return in glory, and in the mystery of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming" (CCC 524). So Advent is ultimately concerned with the Son’s coming in glory, when he shall "judge the living and the dead."

The Coming of Mary’s Son and Savior

This might sound a bit unusual. After all, isn’t Advent about preparing for Christmas? And isn’t Christmas about celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus? It is, of course, but there are other questions to ask: Why was that baby born in a manger twenty centuries ago? Why is he coming again–as a grown and glorified King–and what does it mean for us? Are we more comfortable with a babe in a manger than with a conquering King? What is our place in all of these events?

Pondering our place in salvation history brings us to the feet of Mary, the mother of the Savior. Introducing Redemptoris Mater, his encyclical devoted to the Blessed Mother, Pope John Paul II wrote, "The Mother of the Redeemer has a precise place in the plan of salvation, for ‘when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!' (Gal. 4:4-6)." Here, in a nutshell, is the essence of Advent. God initiates; Mary responds. God offers; mankind receives. This is the way of love and faith.

As the sinless, holy Mother of God, Mary is a unique creature. But her perfection and holiness do not make her aloof or inaccessible. Instead, the Mother of the Savior is a mother for everyone. She draws us near, desiring to reveal the fullness of her Son to the Church and to the entire world. It is fitting, then, that these reflections on the four weeks of Advent will draw upon the "Hail Mary" (dividing it into four parts) in contemplating the past, present, and future advents of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mary is the perfect example of one who is perfectly prepared for the coming of God. Young, poor, and unassuming, she would become–by God's grace and her free choice–the Mother of God. Faithful to God’s promise, she embraced the first advent of her Son before it occurred. John Paul II described Mary as "the one who in the ‘night’ of the Advent expectation began to shine like a true ‘Morning Star’ . . . For just as this star, together with the ‘dawn,’ precedes the rising of the sun, so Mary from the time of her Immaculate Conception preceded the coming of the Savior, the rising of the ‘Sun of Justice’ in the history of the human race" (RM 3).

Graceful Greeting for Grace-filled Lady

The simple words of the "Hail Mary" form a profound commentary on the coming of salvation, judgment, death, and eternal life. Formed from phrases found in Luke’s Gospel and the ancient tradition of the Church, the "Hail Mary" is like a snapshot taken of the Virgin from the perspective of heaven, then offered to those willing to consider the depths of its beauty and truth.

It begins with the words spoken at the Annunciation. The angel declared, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!" (RSVCE). In Redemptoris Mater, John Paul II begins his reflections on this marvelous remark by emphasizing that the plan of salvation, which is a plan of grace beyond words, means God sent forth his Son, "born of woman . . . so that we might receive adoption as sons." This announcement by the angel introduces Mary into the mystery of Christ. She is blessed by God "in a special and exceptional degree," a reality recognized by her cousin Elizabeth, who calls her "blessed among women" (Lk 1:42).

Source: Ignatius Insight