Mary's trust made the New Covenant possible

Mary is first "the one who believed," as her cousin Elizabeth told her during the Visitation. It is important to underscore the central place of faith in the Virgin's life, because original sin has to do with faith before having to do with transgression and punishable acts. In the story of the fall of Adam and Eve found in Genesis, the first couple falls from grace because of the credit they gave to the suggestions of the serpent, who portrayed God as a jealous, suspicious, mistrustful, stingy master who feared competition. In listening to this demonic voice, Adam and Eve lost faith in the God’s goodness, who for them had stopped being a Father full of love and attention.

On the other hand, a new era of human history began with Mary, because she, who became the mother of Jesus, Son of the promise, believed in the promises of God delivered by the voice of the angel Gabriel, saying that she would give birth to the Son of the Most High. In the same manner, she continued to believe at the foot of the Cross—and under what conditions!

For Mary, God remains the Father of Israel and of all humanity. She never doubted his fundamental goodness, simply because she remained untouched by the fallout of original sin. Thus, praying to Our Lady is praying with the intention of growing in the faith. And the more we believe in the loving fatherhood of God, the more zealous we will be in embellishing the bride He has given to his Son: the Church.

Jean-Michel Castaing, French Theologian

Aleteia, October 9, 2018