Mary and the Holy Spirit

At the Annunciation, Mary who was already full of grace, became the residence of the Holy Spirit in a very special way: indeed, He covered her with His shadow so that she became, in total adhesion to God's Word, the Mother of the Son of the Most High. She is the Ark of the Covenant who carries in her womb the Son of God (Lk 1: 26-38). Mary's exemplary experience of hearing God's Word in the Spirit at the time of the Annunciation reminds us of the Pentecost, such as Luke tells us in Acts. Just as the Spirit was at the origin of the formation of the body and the heart of the Son of God in Mary, in the same way the Spirit formed Christ in the new Church. Again, in the same way still He gave Mary the momentum to set off and visit her cousin Elizabeth, He sent the apostles on their missions. Finally, in the same way that He inspired Mary's heart to sing a song of thanksgiving (Lk 1: 46-56), He was the source of the apostles' and disciples' marvellous testimonies (Act 2: 4-13).