He created the angels, who are far above us in nature and in the order of Creation. Alas! The most brilliant of them was blinded by his own light, rebelled, fell from heaven and took with him one third of the stars in the night.
They were defeated, but clung to their deceitfulness and vainglory!! He who could not tolerate the Creator’s glory and majesty couldn’t digest the fact that the Second Person of The BlessedTrinity would take upon Himself a human nature. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14)
So when Adam breathed the Breath of God’s Life, Satan choked. He began using his evil genius to trip Adam, who had Eve by his side. She was the greatest masterpiece of creation.
Satan had his companions. But among them there never was any love or true unity and that increased his misery.
Divine Life -- when shared among the Persons of The Trinity and with Adam and Eve -- is creative and productive. Love and sharing are inherent in them.
Satan -- on the other hand lives (if that form of existence can be called living) -- but he is divisive and destructive. Hate, pride and selfishness consume him.
But God’s grace in Adam and Eve was too much for Satan to overlook. He mounted another assault. Deceit!!! Diabolical hatred made him take advantage of Adam and Eve’s pristine, finite awareness.
The father of lies planted the seed of pride. Alas! Our first parents succumbed.
But Jesus saw how infinitely saddened and offended His Eternal Father was. Jesus knew the consequences of Adam and Eve’s willful disobedience. He told His Father that He Himself would undo the infinite magnitude of man's offense.The Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from the Father and The Son, also consoled The Father. He accompanied Jesus on His mission to save the human race. While Jesus hung on the cross, the Spirit turned the blood of human suffering into the wine of divine love.
When Jesus took on human flesh, He humbled Himself and -- with His Father’s nod -- agreed to become one like us. But how could He become one like us in all things except sin?
Precisely because He’s God, He came with a redemptive solution; for nothing is impossible with God. From outside the constraints of time and space, He knew a way…for He is The Way!
That Way required a new Eve, namely Mary. For when the old Eve was cast out of Paradise by the Angel, the first annunciation was made.
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
But many generations would live their lives before the Immaculate Conception would enter history so that all generations would call her blessed.
Hush. Imagine, the Creator relinquishing the splendor of Heaven; and entering the created House of God, the first living tabernacle -- Mary, most pure and humble.
She never refused God anything. And yet God is a Perfect Gentleman. He did not take for granted her choice. He sought her permission to become the Seed in her womb. Such Seed would bear Fruit that would undo the effects of original sin and thus crush the head of Satan. The forbidden fruit would no longer poison and harry the lives of mankind.
She is Our Lady of The Victory! Victory achieved through obedience: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord!"
Adam and Eve fell prey to the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Mankind's exile began. But God so loved the world that Jesus took it upon Himself to redeem the first exile from the Garden of Eden with His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
It was Eve who consented to the devil’s wicked proposal and consumed the forbidden fruit. But the humble Mary -- the New Eve -- allowed the Fruit of Life to develop in the Eden of her sinless womb. "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to Your Word," Mary's human will echoed exactly the "Yes!" of the Divine Will.
Pride went before the Fall but Mary's humility paved the way to Christ's Rising in the Resurrection!! How sweet is the humility and obedience of Mary!!
O Mary, conceived without sin, obtain for us the grace to imitate you and your Divine Son, Who is meek and humble of heart. Amen!
